The Pain Of Silence
by shayla-hbfan
Summary: Four years ago, a friend of the Hardys left town with her family, not to be heard from again until now. They're back, looking for some help from old friends, trying to escape an abusive past. Can the Hardys find the man responsible for hurting them all t
1. Chapter 1

The Pain of Silence

By Shayla 

Chapter 1

Joe decided not to intrude. He returned to the van and drove home. _Frank is going to be very interested in this little bit of news!_

Nearly two years ago…

"Thanks for the ride Dad! We'll see you in a couple hours," Frank Hardy said to his father as he opened the passenger car door.

Fenton looked at his son, who was a younger looking version of himself, with dark brown hair and brown eyes. Fenton pulled out his wallet and took out some money for his sons. "Boys, I want you to be careful! Call me if you go anywhere else. When you're done here, you're going to Mr. Pizza, right?" Fenton was very protective of his two boys. It came naturally to him; ever since he had become a detective, he was protective of his family and always made sure he knew where they were.

"Yes Dad," Joe said from the back seat as he took his seat belt off. Joe was a year younger than his brother, Frank. At fifteen years old with blonde hair and the brightest blue eyes anyone had ever seen, it was very clear he favored their mother, Laura, who was at home while Fenton was dropping the boys off at the local bowling alley. It was their friend Tony's seventeenth birthday and he wanted to go bowling with his friends.

"Do you have Tony's birthday gift?" Fenton asked them as Joe opened his door to get out.

The blond-haired boy held up a nicely wrapped box in one hand and a card in the other. "Yes sir," he said jokingly.

Fenton laughed. "All right boys. Here you go Frank," he said handing his oldest son the money. "This should cover bowling and dinner. Have fun you two! Keep out of trouble!"

Joe poked his head back in. "Trouble? Us? No way!" he said with a grin.

Fenton rolled his eyes. "Frank, keep an eye on your brother please!"

"Come on Joe," Frank said as he led the way to the entrance of the bowling alley. "Bye Dad!" he called out as his father pulled away.

"I can't believe Tony wanted to go bowling. Bowling! Of all things he could have chosen. Why not a movie? Or…" Joe was interrupted by his brother who playfully punched his shoulder.

"Hey! It's his birthday Joe! Not yours," Frank smirked as they walked inside looking for their friends. "Besides, you'll have a chance to show off your wonderful bowling skills."

"Bowling skills? What skills? I suck at it!" Joe frowned as he went up to the counter to get some bowling shoes.

"Oh that's right. What did you get last time? Sixty-seven? Yeah, you do suck at it," Frank laughed as an older man approached them.

"Hi boys, what size shoes?" he asked and they both told him the size shoes they needed. A moment later he handed them the shoes. "Are you with the group here for Tony Prito's birthday?"

"Yes, are they here yet?" Frank asked him.

"Tony and a friend of his just went to go use the rest room. You have the first lane over there," he said pointing to the lane farthest on the right. "What are your names so I can add them to the list?"

"Frank and Joe," Frank answered for them. "Thank you very much."

The boys made their way over to the lane that was reserved for them and their friends. They both sat down and took their sneakers off to put on their bowling shoes.

"Frank, Joe! How are you guys?" someone said from behind them.

The boys turned and saw their friends Chet and Tony coming over to join them.

"Hey Chet! Happy Birthday Tony!" Frank said and stood up. "Joe, do you have the gift?"

Joe stood up and handed Tony his birthday gift. "Thanks guys! You didn't have to do that," Tony said and placed the gift on top of his coat on his chair.

Tony was the oldest of the Hardys' friends, now having turned seventeen years old, with dark brown hair and deep brown eyes.

"Hey guys, my parents got me a dog for my birthday. They knew I've always wanted one so they got me a German shepherd! Isn't that cool?"

"Nice! I remember you said you wanted one. That was nice of them," Frank said, knowing that his friend had wanted a dog for a long time.

"I saw the dog this morning. Cutest dog you've ever seen. What did you name him again?" Chet asked. Chet had a stockier build to him than any of his friends and was slightly shorter than the Hardys, who were nearing six feet tall. Chet's eyes were a grayish blue and he had light brown hair and a freckled face.

"I named him Axel. You guys should come by after, if you have time, and we can bring him outside," Tony suggested as he slipped his own bowling shoes on.

"Sure, you bet. As long as our father doesn't mind. He is going to pick us up in a couple hours. I'll call him when we're done bowling and see if we can hang out with you longer," Frank told his friend.

Chet sat down and started changing into his bowling shoes.

"Hey Chet, where's your sister?" Joe asked.

"Iola stayed home today. She's still sick," Chet said sadly. "Her cold just won't go away. Why? You like her or something, Joe?" Chet smirked.

Joe almost blushed, "No way! I was just wondering 'cause you said…"

"Uh huh," Tony had to keep himself from laughing. He looked at Frank, and the two exchanged a glance that was caught by Joe.

"What? I was simply asking where my friend was!" Joe tried defending himself.

"Who's ready to bowl?"

Everyone turned and saw Phil Cohen walking in their direction. He was one of Frank's best friends, known for being an electronics genius. The two got along great, considering they both had the brains and similar interests in hobbies. Phil was about Frank's height and also had brown hair and eyes.

"Let me guess, you're gonna attempt to beat me this time?" Frank asked his friend.

"Of course! The day I beat you, Frank Hardy, will be a day I cherish!"

Joe playfully rolled his eyes. "Come on guys. Is this everyone? Is Biff coming?"

Phil turned to him. "Biff is running late. I'm not sure why, but he'll be meeting us for pizza after."

"So, are we waiting for anyone else or can we get started?" the impatient younger Hardy asked.

"Wow, are you that anxious to get your butt kicked Joe?" Tony joked knowing Joe disliked bowling because he was bad at it.

"Oh yeah. I'm looking forward to it!" Joe said sarcastically.

"Well, we're waiting for one more person anyway, so have some patience my friend," Tony said with a small smile.

"Who?" Joe asked and Chet grinned.

"He's waiting for Brooke," Chet informed them and Joe almost laughed.

"Boy Tony, I am beginning to think you have a crush on someone!" Joe nudged his friend in the shoulder playfully.

"Oh shut up!" Tony blushed.

Frank elbowed his younger brother. "Knock it off! If Iola were here I am sure you'd have the same problem. Be nice!" Frank was known for taking things more seriously, whereas Joe was more likely to make jokes.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Leave me alone. I'm not looking for a girlfriend!" Joe defended himself.

"Guys, it's okay. So what if I like her? She's a really nice girl," Tony said and Phil gave his friend a pat on the back.

"Don't listen to Joe. I agree with you. She's very nice. Don't let Mr. Insensitive here get to you," Phil said and Joe glared at him.

"Joe can say whatever he wants," Tony said and smiled. "I know he loves to bust my chops." Joe gave his friend a goofy smile and Tony laughed. "You're a strange one Joe."

Frank turned and saw who they were waiting for walk inside the front door. "Hey Tony, she's here!"

Tony turned around and saw Brooke walking in their direction. She gave him a small wave and he smiled.

Brooke was a slender girl of medium height with long brown hair just past her shoulders, and light brown eyes. As much as Tony was teased about her, he did like her, but he didn't want to start a relationship when he was too young. He sometimes considered her one of his best friends because they got along so well.

"Happy Birthday Tony!" Brooke said and gave her friend a hug.

Tony wrapped his arms around her. He looked over and saw Joe making kissing faces at him. "Thanks Brooke. You look very pretty," he said noticing her jeans and a long dark purple sweater.

"Thanks," she said and smiled. "Here's your present. I hope you like it! It reminded me of you when I saw it, so I had to get it."

"Can we bowl please!" Joe groaned from his seat and Tony looked down at his friend.

"Will it shut you up?" Tony asked and laughed.

"Yup!" Joe grinned and looked at Brooke, "Sorry. I just wanna get my butt kicked. Everyone's waiting to get it over with."

Brooke laughed. "It's okay Joe. Go ahead. Don't let me stop you," she said and sat down in the seat next to Tony's.

"Hey Joe! You're first on the list!" Frank said when he looked at the scoreboard.

Joe stood up and walked over to the lane and picked up a bowling ball. "Thanks whoever did that," he said and looked at Tony.

"What did I do?" Tony said with a grin.

"You know what you did!" Joe said and turned to bowl.

"Brooke, aren't you gonna get some shoes so you can bowl?" Tony asked her. It was one of their favorite things to do together, so he was surprised to see she didn't already have her shoes.

"Um, I actually hurt my arm yesterday. I don't think I can bowl today," she frowned.

"Oh, are you sure? What happened?" Tony asked her.

Brooke tucked a loose strand of hair nervously behind her ear. "Well, it's a long story, but I ended up tripping as I went down the stairs and hit my arm pretty hard on the railing. It's bruised pretty badly," she told him.

Frank who was watching his brother bowl was listening carefully to Brooke as she told her story. He was curious as to why she seemed nervous. He saw his brother hit two pins with the first ball and laughed.

"Oh! Sorry," Tony said. "Do you wanna show me? Did you go to see a doctor? How bad is it?"

Brooke smiled at his concern for her. Deep down she cared a lot about him. "No, don't worry about it. It was an accident. It'll be fine in a few days I think. I could try to bowl but it might hurt a little."

"It's up to you. I don't want to pressure you into bowling. I just know you love it," he said and gave her a smile.

"YES!" Everyone turned to look in Joe's direction"You see that! I got em all!"

Phil, Tony and Chet started laughing, "Jeez, I don't think he yelled that loud enough," Chet said with a grin.

Brooke smiled. "Nice job Joe."

"Why thank you," he said and sat down"Your turn birthday boy!"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Well, we may have a challenge," he said ironically.

Brooke laughed, "I'll go get my shoes. I'll try and play a string," she said and leaned over to kiss Tony's cheek. "Thanks Tony. I'll be right back," she said as she walked towards the counter to get herself some shoes.

Tony couldn't help but smile, and he started blushing when all of his friends stared at him.

"Aw, how cute!" Joe smirked at his friend.

"Shut up!" Tony said and stood up, "One day Joe, you'll like someone too. Then we'll see who's laughing." Tony walked over to the lane and grabbed a bowling ball. "Let me show you how a pro does it!" he said and seconds later he had a strike. "Like I said Joe. Beat that!"

At the counter, Brooke watched her friends tease one another and she laughed.

She got her shoes and made her way back to her friends. She wondered if and when she'd be able to tell them the truth about what really happened the day before. She wasn't sure if she'd even be able to bowl.

"Guys, I'll be right back. I have to use the rest room," she said and quickly made her way to the ladies room.

She decided to take one last glance at her arm to see how the bruises were doing. She had to make sure she wore a dark colored long sleeved shirt; for fear that someone might notice the bruises.

When she lifted her shirt she saw the bruises she had seen that morning. Large dark-colored bruises were in various spots on her arm, and they weren't from a fall.

A small tear slid down her face as she remembered her father grabbing her roughly by the arm and dragging her down the stairs. He had been mad at her, why, she couldn't even remember.

All she remembered was the pain as he grabbed her as she stared at the finger size bruises all over her arm.

Her dad had told her yesterday that the family was moving. How would she tell her friends that? Especially Tony.


	2. Chapter 2

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 2

Brooke made her way back to her friends and sat down to put on her bowling shoes. Tony had been standing and watching his friends bowl, and didn't notice her return.

She put her shoes on and waited patiently for her turn.

It was now Chet's turn and he managed to knock down nine of the ten pins. "Darn it!" he said and grinned. When he went to sit down he saw Brooke.

Tony saw Chet's glance and turned, "Phil's next, then you're up, Brooke." He went over and sat beside her again. "Are you sure you want to bowl? I didn't mean…"

"It's okay Tony. I'll give it a try. If it hurts then I'll stop," she said and watched Phil go up. "When are you gonna open your gifts?" she asked him.

"Oh, um, probably when we get pizza," he told her.

"Okay. I just want to know if you like what I got you," she said and blushed.

He wondered what she could have gotten him. "I'm sure I will."

"Nice one Phil!" Frank said to his friend when he also got a strike.

Joe frowned. "Has everyone been practicing or something?" he joked.

Frank laughed. "Joe, we're better at one sport. You kick our butts in football and soccer. We can beat you at bowling," he said.

Joe smiled, "True. I'm good at the more physical sports."

"Don't even go there Joe!" Phil said with a grin. "We know you're the king of sports. So is Biff. Back off!"

"Brooke, it's your turn," Frank told her and she stood up.

_This isn't gonna be good, _she thought to herself as she picked up a bowling ball. When she swung her arm back she felt her arm hurt and when she let the bowling ball go she watched it go down the lane and hit two of the ten pins. _Darn it! I knew this wouldn't be good._

She picked the second ball up and got ready. She let the second one go and was able to knock down three more pins. She smiled even though it hurt her arm a lot to play. She didn't want her friends knowing what happened. Not yet anyway. Not until she figured out what to do, once she was able to somehow talk to her mother about it. She went back and sat down.

"Not too bad," Tony said.

"Thanks," she said. Her arm was starting to throb.

Frank, who was carefully watching Brooke, had a feeling her arm was bothering her more than she let on. Before he could say anything, Frank noticed a pretty blonde girl walk inside the bowling alley with two older people, who he guessed were her parents. He watched the older folks approach the counter and speak to the man, who handed them each a pair of shoes.

The lady requested another pair of shoes, then called to the girl, and said something to the man, who handed them to her. The blonde girl turned and noticed Frank looking at her.

Frank quickly looked away and a few seconds later he glanced back up to see where the girl had gone. She was a few lanes over, putting on her bowling shoes. Frank turned to Phil. "Who is that?" he asked his friend.

Phil turned and saw the girl getting up to bowl. "I have no idea. She must be new in town," he replied. "She's cute."

"Her name is Callie," Brooke said with a laugh. "She's gonna be coming to Bayport High. She's nice. Those are her folks with her. They just moved here from North Carolina. I met her in the office at school the other day when I was talking to my counselor."

Frank looked at the girl and then looked at her folks again. Her mom had wavy blonde hair and blue eyes, and her father had sandy blonde hair and brown eyes. He noticed Callie had her father's brown eyes. He watched her bowl and she got a strike on the first try.

Frank smiled and Callie looked over in his direction once more and waved.

Joe looked where Frank was staring. "Frank! It's your turn!"

Frank mumbled something to his brother and stood up and bowled. He got nine of the ten pins, "Darn it," he said, and was able to pick up the spare with his second ball. He saw the girl talking to her parents and saw her point to him and the others.

"What did you do Frank?" Chet joked as he saw the blonde girl walking towards them.

She stopped in front of Frank. "Hi, I'm Callie," she said and put her hand out.

"I'm Frank. It's nice to meet you," he said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too," she said and looked at the others.

"I'm Joe, Frank's lovable younger brother," Joe joked and Callie laughed.

"Nice to meet you Joe," she said, "I just wanted to say hi. I recognized Brooke from the other day. I start at Bayport High on Monday," she informed them.

Frank grinned, thinking she looked gorgeous in her tan pants and pink sweater. "What classes are you taking?" he asked her.

"Nerd alert," Joe joked.

Chet playfully whacked him on the shoulder. "Be nice Joe."

Callie smiled, able to tell that this group was nice. "Well, it was nice meeting you all. I look forward to seeing you in school," she said and flashed Frank a smile.

"Bye," he said. When she left he sat down and saw Joe grinning at him. "Don't you dare!" Frank warned, knowing he was about to be teased.

"What? I didn't say anything!" Joe defended himself.

After a few more minutes of bickering Brooke stood up and bowled again, and this time Frank noticed something none of the others did; part of a bruise on her arm. Her sweater had slipped up her arm, just slightly, and he saw the bruise.

He was concerned her arm might be causing more pain than she let on. He hoped to pull Brooke aside and speak to her.

Joe suddenly stood up and walked over to where Callie and her parents were bowling, causing his friends to turn and watch. They saw Joe say something to Callie and she grinned and nodded. Shortly after, Joe returned to the group and sat down.

"What did you do?" Frank asked him.

"Oh nothing," he said with a smile.

Tony looked up at Brooke who was coming to sit next to him. Without thinking he placed his hand on her leg when she sat back down, waiting to hear what Joe had to say.

"Fine, I invited her to have pizza with us. I thought it'd be a nice gesture seeing how she's new," Joe announced and looked at his brother.

"Wow, Joe just invited a girl out to lunch with us?" Tony asked and Brooke giggled.

"Not for me! For Frank!" Joe crossed his arms.

"Thanks Joe," Frank said with a smile and the group continued to bowl.

After a couple more turns Frank could tell Brooke's arm was bothering her the more she bowled. "Brooke, can I talk to you?" he asked her as she walked by him.

She stopped and looked at him. "Sure, Frank."

Frank stood up and walked towards the restrooms, beckoning Brooke to follow him, and stopping just outside them. "I don't want to seem nosy, but are you sure you're all right to bowl?"

"Yeah. It's started to hurt more, so I think this'll be the only string I play," she informed him.

"I saw a small bruise on your arm, that's all. I just wanted to check," he informed her.

"Thanks, Frank. I appreciate it," she said, thankful for her friend's concern.

"No problem. I didn't want to put you on the spot over there. Let's go finish up."

Brooke and Frank rejoined their friends and continued the game.

Twenty minutes later the boys were in their second string of bowling and Brooke watched. Tony came back and sat beside her. She knew there was more than friendship between them and even though she was only sixteen and he was now seventeen, they'd been friends for several years and the two knew each other very well and were very close. She leaned towards him and they clasped hands, Tony holding hers in his lap.

Frank smiled at the two, and was about to say something, when someone came walking in the bowling alley and made his way right over to the group.

"Brooke! It's time to go home!" The deep, rough voice startled them.

Everyone turned and saw Brooke's father standing there in jeans and a heavy jacket. His brown hair was thrown around and messy.

"Dad! We're not done yet! I told you I wouldn't be back until later!" Brooke said, standing up, embarrassed that her father was there.

"We have to go! Now!" he said and reached over, taking her by the arm. "Say goodbye to your friends," he said angrily.

"Dad!" Brooke looked at her friends. "I'm sorry guys, I have to go," she said sadly, and yanked her arm away from her father.

Frank saw her cringe as her father grabbed her arm. It was in the same spot as the bruise he had noticed. He wondered if her father knew she was hurt.

"Brooke," Tony stood up. "Sir, can't we bring her home later? She hasn't even had dinner yet. That's not till after."

"Sorry kid, we are leaving now," her father said and Brooke looked at Tony tearfully.

"I'm sorry Tony," she said and quickly went over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "See you later. Happy Birthday!"

Her father escorted her from the bowling alley, leaving her friends stunned at what had just happened.

Tony sat down frowning. He wondered what was wrong with her father to make him act the way he did. He reached over and picked up the gift she had given him and held it close.

"Open it," Frank told his friend. "I'm sure you'll like it," he added with a smile.

Tony first opened the card and read what was written on the inside,

_To the best friend I've ever had. This is something I thought would mean a lot in the near future. I hope you like it. Happy Birthday! With Love, Brooke. _

After reading the card, Tony carefully tore the paper off to reveal a small wooden box with a boat carved on it, above the word 'Napoli.' 'Napoli' was the name of the boat that belonged to his family, which one day would be his. He opened the box and found a gift card and a key chain inside. It was a silver anchor inscribed with the name of his family's boat.

He smiled and picked it up. "I'll be right back," he said and ran towards the front door of the bowling alley in hopes of spotting Brooke, but she was already gone.


	3. Chapter 3

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 3

Tony walked back inside, confused about what just happened.

Frank went over to his friend. "Did you see her?"

Tony shook his head. "No. She was gone. What was his problem? Why would he just drag her off like that?"

"I have no idea. I've never seen him like that. Sorry man," Frank said and gave his friend a pat on the back. "Try not to let it bother you. It's your birthday. Maybe you can call her later and talk to her?"

Tony nodded, "Yeah. I'll do that. Come on, let's finish up."

They finished their last string and made their way over to Mr. Pizza for dinner. Callie's parents dropped her off shortly after the group arrived. Frank was seated next to Callie, and seemed to be flirting with her.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to use the restroom," Callie said and Frank and Tony moved out of the booth to let her out. "Thank you."

As they continued to eat dinner, Tony nudged him.

"Yeah?" Frank asked.

"She seems to like you," Tony said with a grin.

"It's only been an hour! It'll take a little longer to figure that out," Frank laughed. "Plus, she's new. She's just being friendly."

Tony playfully rolled his eyes. "Sure she is."

Shortly after, Callie returned from the restroom and the boys moved to let her sit back down.

Across the table Joe spoke up. "So Tony, can we come over and see Axel if it's okay with our dad?"

"You bet! My mom made a cake for tonight, so you guys are all welcome to have some later," Tony told his friends.

Joe grinned, "Oh, I'm sure our dad won't let us miss out on some cake. Right Frank?"

Frank shook his head. "You and your food! Yeah, I'm sure he won't mind. Actually, do any of you have a cell phone? I can give him a call and let him know what's going on."

Callie reached into her pocket. "Here you go Frank," she said, handing him her cell phone.

"Thanks Callie," he said and called his dad.

After Frank let their father know they'd be going to Tony's for cake, the Pritos took the group of boys to their house.

Callie's parents picked her up after dinner and took her home.

When everyone left the Pritos, Tony took the phone up to his room, to call Brooke. He sat down, dialed and waited for someone to pick up.

"_Hello?" _a lady answered.

"Hi Mrs. Tyler. Is Brooke home?" he asked.

"_Is this Tony?"_

"Yes it is," he answered.

"_Happy Birthday, Tony!"_

"Thanks."

"_Brooke's busy at the moment. Can I have her call you back?"_

"Oh, sure. Thank you," he said and they said their goodbyes.

As the night passed Tony watched the clock. When it was nearing eleven he decided to call it a night and went to bed.

The next morning Frank woke up and showered, then made his way to his brother's room. He heard him snoring as he opened the door.

"Joe! Wake up! It's almost nine!"

The lump under the blanket moved and he heard a muffled reply: "One more hour."

Frank rolled his eyes and made his way downstairs to get some breakfast. He found his mother in the kitchen reading the newspaper and having some eggs and toast. "Good morning."

"Hi honey! How was Tony's birthday? Did you have fun bowling?" she asked and stood up to make her son some breakfast.

"Mom, sit down. I'll get something!" He didn't want to bother her while she was eating. "It was fun. We met a new girl who starts school tomorrow."

"That's nice. Hey, Joe told your dad last night that Brooke's father showed up. Was something wrong?" Laura asked. She was concerned about Brooke because she was friends with her mother, Morgan Tyler.

"I'm not sure what was going on. He just showed up and made her leave. Maybe you could check with Mrs. Tyler?" he suggested. "Tony was worried about her. He said he was gonna call her last night. I haven't talked to him yet."

"Sure, I'll give her a call later on today. I've been meaning to get in touch with her. We haven't talked in a couple weeks."

Frank grabbed a bowl of cereal and the milk and joined his mother at the table. "Thanks Mom."

About fifteen minutes later they heard someone coming down the stairs and Joe entered the kitchen, his blonde hair still tousled and messy. "Nice hair Joe," Frank said.

"Oh shut up," he yawned.

Frank laughed, "Do you want to see if Tony wants to hang out today? He was gonna bring Axel to the park."

Joe nodded. "Sure. Sounds good."

Joe sat down and had some breakfast. After he finished he made his way back upstairs and showered.

Frank was in his room on his computer chatting with Tony when Joe finished his shower. "Hey Joe! Tony said to come over any time!" he informed him.

"I'm ready whenever you are!" Joe yelled from his room.

Frank sent Tony a message saying they were on their way.

After several hours at the park playing with Tony's German Shepherd, they started back towards Tony's house.

"Hey guys, could we swing by Brooke's? I tried calling her again this morning but no one answered the phone," Tony asked them.

"Sure. Can I walk Axel?" Joe asked and Tony handed the leash to his friend. "Thanks."

When the boys arrived at Brooke's home, they saw her father's truck in the driveway.

"Oh great," Tony frowned. "I hope he's in a better mood today."

"I would hope so," Frank agreed.

"We'll wait here with Axel," Joe said and kneeled down to pet the dog.

Tony walked up the front steps and knocked on the front door.

Inside, Brooke was upstairs packing her things, as she had been instructed to do and heard a knock on the door. She heard her father walking to the door. "Who is it?" she yelled downstairs.

Scott looked out the window. "Some salesman, Brooke. Finish up your packing!" he told her.

Brooke sighed. "Okay." She had hoped it was Tony. She had wanted to call him that morning but her father had been on the phone with a moving company and his work, among other calls.

Scott opened the door and quickly stepped outside, closing the door behind him. "What can I do for you boys?" he asked.

"Hi Mr. Tyler," Tony said, stepping back. "Is Brooke here? I wanted to thank her for my gift."

Axel barked at the man. "Shh," Joe said and petted the puppy to quiet him.

"No she's not. She won't be back for a while," was Mr. Tyler's grumpy reply.

"Okay, well, do you know where she is?" Tony asked.

"Nope. She went somewhere with her mother. Sorry boys, but I have to be getting back inside. I have to make some phone calls." Scott opened the door and went inside.

"Wait!" Tony said and Scott re-opened the door. "What?"

"Can you have her call me tonight?" Tony asked him.

Scott sighed. "Yeah. Goodbye," he said and closed the door in Tony's face.

"What a jerk!" Tony exclaimed.

Frank was surprised by Scott's attitude. "We'll see her tomorrow at school. Maybe you two can hang out after. He usually works Mondays, right, and her mom's home?"

"Yeah. That's a good idea," Tony said and made his way down the steps.

An hour later, the Hardys were back at home having dinner with their parents.

"Hey mom, did you talk to Mrs. Tyler at all today?" Frank asked.

Laura shook her head, "I tried calling a few times today. The phone was busy. When I got through, her husband answered and said she was out of the house."

"Thanks, Mom. Can you let us know if you hear from her? We tried stopping by with Tony but Mr. Tyler answered the door and was the only one home. He seemed to be in a bad mood," Frank told her.

Fenton spoke up, "Do you think something's wrong?"

"We're not sure yet. We're trying to find out," Frank said, and filled him in on what happened earlier that day and at the birthday party.

"I wouldn't worry about anything yet. Everyone has their bad moods every now and then. But let me know if anything is wrong," Fenton told his sons.

"Tony seems worried about Brooke," Joe said to him.

"We'll see her at school tomorrow and we'll let you know," Frank announced.

The next day at school Frank, Joe and Tony kept an eye out for their friend, but didn't see her anywhere.

Tony, who usually had math with Brooke walked out of the class to find his friends after she never showed up. Thankfully, it was their last class of the day.

"Guys, she wasn't in class," Tony informed them as soon as they met up.

"We haven't seen her either. Let's head over to her house," Frank suggested.

After a fifteen-minute walk the boys arrived at Brooke's house. There were no cars in the driveway and there was a sign out front that hadn't been there the day before.

Tony went straight to the front porch, but Joe stopped to read the sign. "Hey Frank!"

Frank came over and looked at the sign and then glanced at Tony. "He's not gonna be happy."

Tony knocked on the door, hoping someone would answer.

Frank walked over to his friend. "Tony, there's a 'for sale' sign near the sidewalk. They're selling their house."

Tony went over to one of the windows and peered inside. He saw a lot of the furniture had been removed. "She couldn't have up and left without saying goodbye!"

Joe looked in another window and saw only an empty room.

That's when the boys realized their friend was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 4

(Present Day: November 21st)

Joe sat on a bench with his girlfriend Vanessa Bender, both having some ice cream, as they took a break from shopping.

Joe was pondering what to get Frank for his birthday. It was just a week away and he had no idea what to buy. Holding his ice cream cone with one hand, he ran the fingers of his free hand through Vanessa's ash-blonde hair, lost in thought.

Vanessa's gray-blue eyes fell upon her boyfriend and she smiled. She knew he was having trouble finding Frank the perfect gift – and then an idea came to her. "Maybe you can get him something for college? A new case for his laptop perhaps? The one he has is getting beat up. He could use one."

"I like that idea." _But what would make it special?_ Joe thought. "Maybe I can get one personalized for him?"

"That's a great idea Joe. I bet he'd love that," Vanessa said, and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"What would I do without you?" He kissed her forehead.

A few minutes later, they continued to walk around the mall looking for a gift. Vanessa pointed out a store that had luggage and various style bags in a display window. "Look at that," she said, indicating a black shoulder bag which would be perfect for a laptop. "Let's go in and look!"

They walked inside and went directly over to the bag they saw in the window. Vanessa opened it to show Joe the compartments inside.

"That's a nice bag. I bet he'd like it," Joe commented. "He could even slip his text books in there."

Vanessa agreed and looked at the price tag. "I think this gift will be from the both of us," she told him.

He looked at the price. "A hundred and fifty for that bag!?" Joe had never seen a bag cost that much before.

"It's the quality of the bag, Joe. I had one like this and it lasted me a while. That was until I misplaced it," Vanessa frowned. She pulled out some money and handed it to Joe. "There's a store on the first floor where you can get it personalized."

"Okay, let's get it and get going. I'll get that taken care of and then take you home. We're still meeting up tonight with Tony and Chet at Mr. Pizza, right?" he asked.

"Of course! What time does Tony's shift end?"

"He was supposed to get out at five, but someone was going to be late, so he's covering until seven."

"That's too bad. At least he'll make some good money from the dinner rush."

They paid for Frank's gift and made their way to the lower level of the mall. "So where is this store you were talking about?" Joe asked.

Vanessa's cell phone rang, as she was about to answer, so she pointed out the direction to go in. "It's on the right," she said and answered her phone. "Hello?... okay, hold on, Mom." They stopped outside the store and Joe waited for her. "Joe, go on in. My mom needs to talk to me about something. I'll be in as soon as I'm done."

Joe took the bag in and spoke with a sales associate about what he wanted on the bag. He decided to go with Frank's initials, but wasn't sure what else should go on it.

Vanessa came in a few minutes later. "Joe, my mom wants to pick me up if that's all right with you? She wanted to run some errands and do a few things before I go out tonight."

"Sure, no problem, hon," he said as he paid for the personalization. The salesman promised the bag would be back within the next few days.

Ten minutes later Vanessa's mother, Andrea, swung by to pick her daughter up. Joe gave his girlfriend a kiss goodbye. "See you at six-thirty, beautiful," he said and she blushed.

"Joe!" She gave him one last kiss goodbye and left with her mother.

Joe grinned. He got a lot of pleasure out of making Vanessa blush. He knew she was the best thing to ever happen to him even though they had only been going together for six months.

Joe decided to make his way up to Mr. Pizza and say hello to Tony, and see how the lunch rush had been. Mr. Pizza had always been the boys' favorite hangout and place for food. Tony had become good friends with the owners; they had offered him a job last year when he turned eighteen.

A few minutes later he entered Mr. Pizza and looked for his friend. He saw Tony sitting in a booth, next to a girl, and Tony had his back turned. Joe started to make his way over to the table just as Tony stood up, grinning.

Joe noticed the happy expression. "Hi Tony!"

Tony, who had not noticed Joe, was heading towards the counter. He turned quickly. "Joe! Jeez, you know how to scare people!" Tony started walking towards his friend and ran a hand through his wavy brown hair. "You know I don't get off work until seven, right?"

Joe glanced back to see if he knew the girl Tony had been sitting with, but couldn't see her face. "Yeah, I just wanted to stop in. Vanessa and I were shopping for Frank's birthday present."

Tony walked behind the counter. "Want a drink?" he offered.

"Sure. I'll have a coke please," he answered.

Tony went over to the fountain, seemingly lost in thought. He snapped back to reality when some soda went over the edge of the glass and onto his hand. "Oops," he mumbled, cleaning up the mess, and returned with Joe's soda. "Here you go. I may have someone coming with me tonight," Tony informed him.

Joe's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Someone? As in...?"

Tony grinned. "A friend, Joe." Tony wanted to let Joe know who he had run into but didn't think it was the right time.

"Do we know this friend?" Joe pressed.

"I think you do. I gotta run out back. I'll see you later," Tony said and headed for the kitchen.

"Catch ya later." Joe stood up and left Mr. Pizza, making his way to the parking lot.

As he started to leave he recognized a familiar face he hadn't seen in a couple of years. It was Morgan Tyler, Brooke's mother. Joe watched her make her way inside the mall. He wanted to say hello, so he followed her, and discovered she was going to Mr. Pizza.

To Joe's surprise, Tony came out from behind the counter and gave Mrs. Tyler a hug. That's when he noticed the girl in the back corner stand up and walk over to Tony.

Joe recognized the long dark brown hair and soft brown eyes as she stopped next to Tony. It was Brooke.

Joe decided not to intrude. He returned to the van and drove home. He was sure Frank would want to see Brooke, since it had been two years.

He ran upstairs and knocked on his brother's bedroom door.

"Come in," Frank yelled.

Joe walked inside to find his brother on his computer. "More homework?" he asked.

Frank turned around. "Yeah. I've got a couple more hours ahead of me. Lots of reading and a writing assignment due."

"Wow, I can hardly wait for college," Joe said sarcastically and then remembered why he'd wanted to talk to Frank . "Guess who I just saw!"

"Who?" Frank asked.

"You'll never guess!" Joe paused, teasingly waiting for his brother's reaction.

"Okay, if I'll never guess, why don't you just tell me?"

"Brooke Tyler is back in town!"

"I've always wondered what happened to her. It's been a while," Frank said. "Where was she?"

"The mall. She was in Mr. Pizza with her mother. Tony was there and they were talking," Joe smirked.

Frank smiled, "I bet that made his day. Why don't we go see how she's been? When we come back, I'll finish up my paper and complete the reading after the movie tonight."

Joe agreed, "Yeah, let's go." He left the room and went downstairs. Both boys were looking forward to seeing their friend. They had a lot of catching up to do. "Wait a second, Frank."

Frank was about to get his jacket. "What?"

"Tony told me he might be having a friend come with him tonight. I'm guessing that 'friend' he mentioned is Brooke. How about you finish your homework and we'll leave early?"

"Yeah, we can do that. Let me finish my paper. Why don't you give Vanessa a call and let her know we'll swing by early to pick her up. I'll call Callie and let her know what's going on."

They called their girlfriends to inform them about the change in plans. A couple of hours later the group was on its way to the mall.


	5. Chapter 5

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 5

Frank, Joe and their dates entered Mr. Pizza about six o'clock and went over to a booth in the corner.

"There's Chet," Joe noticed his friend walking in.

"Hey guys. So, what are you ordering?" Chet slipped in next to Joe who was beside Vanessa.

"I was thinking three large pizzas. I'm in the mood for meat lovers," Joe grinned.

"Callie and I just want cheese," Frank announced.

"Has Tony been out yet?" Chet asked.

"We just got here. Oh, there he is." Callie pointed to the counter as the kitchen door opened and Tony emerged, carrying a pizza over to another booth. "That looks good," she said. "Frank, can we get ham and pineapple instead?"

Frank playfully rolled his eyes. "Sure, I guess so," he joked. "Of course, hon. Whatever you'd like."

"Anchovies?" Callie teased and Frank made a face.

"Thankfully I know you're kidding. Sorry, no little fishes on my pizza," he said as Tony approached the group.

"Hi guys. You're all early," he said.

"We were hungry and figured we were coming here anyway, so…" Joe grinned. "Well, you know Chet and me. Always in the mood for a good pizza!"

Tony eyed Joe. "Okay then. What did you want to order?"

Tony wrote down their order and went behind the counter to get their drinks. A moment later he returned to the table and passed out the various sodas they'd ordered.

"Hey Tony, I was wondering. Is your friend coming tonight?" Joe asked.

A big grin appeared on Tony's face. "I believe so. She said she'd be here early to get some dinner."

Callie's eyes lit with curiosity. "She? Who are you talking about?"

"Let's just wait and make sure she shows up first," Tony said and left to wait on other customers.

"Do any of you know who he's talking about?" Callie asked the boys.

Chet shook his head. "It's news to me. How about you guys?"

"Well, we sort of know what's going on," Joe said and looked [over at Tony who was at the other end of the room. "I saw Brooke Tyler earlier."

"Who's that?" Vanessa asked and Joe realized she had never met Brooke.

"Brooke Tyler is a friend from a couple years ago. During Tony's seventeenth birthday party her father barged in and made her go home. Then when Tony tried to see her a couple days later, she was gone. Her family moved without saying goodbye. No one's heard from or seen her till today," Joe informed her.

"Poor girl. I wonder why she never called after they moved," she thought out loud.

"That's what I always wondered," Frank announced. "You know, at the time it didn't really make sense. No one thought to ask questions or look for them, either. Dad thought it was inappropriate to look into it. He said it was probably a personal family matter of theirs and wasn't about to turn it into a case, unless something was wrong."

The group continued talking about Brooke until Tony returned with their pizzas. "Enjoy! I had the chef put extra pineapple on for you, Callie."

Callie grinned. "Thanks Tony! You're the best!"

Frank laughed. "We know how to take care of you, sweetie."

Callie kissed Frank's cheek and everyone dug into the pizza. "This is good!" Callie said in between mouthfuls.

Joe was on his third slice when he noticed Brooke walk in and sit at the counter. He pretended not to notice and continued eating. He didn't want to make a scene.

Under the table he tapped Frank's foot with his own. "What?" Frank mouthed, catching Joe's eye. Frank saw his brother's eyes dart across the room and Frank turned slightly to see what he was looking at, then turned back when he saw her.

Callie noticed her boyfriend acting strangely. "What is it?" she whispered.

"Brooke is here. We want to wait for Tony to say something before we head over there."

Callie glanced over and understood. "She seems nervous," she told him.

"Really? I wonder why." Frank wanted to go over and say hi to Brooke; they had been friends, after all. "Here comes Tony."

Tony hadn't noticed Brooke at the counter, until she called to him. He had delivered a pizza to another booth and was just about to go back into the kitchen when he saw her. He gave her a huge smile, and put up a finger, letting her know he'd be right back.

A minute later he came back out and immediately walked over to her. He stood on the opposite side of the counter to chat with her. "Want a drink?"

"Sure," she said with a smile. "Thanks so much, Tony."

"My pleasure," he said and got her a soda. "So, I know I mentioned earlier we're going to the movies with our friends right?"

She nodded.

"Are you up for that? I know you just got back, so I don't want to…"

"I'd love to Tony! I really want to go. I've been busy and could use a fun night out."

"Do you remember Frank and Joe?" Tony asked. He happened to glance in their direction and saw Joe looking at them. Joe quickly looked away but Tony knew Joe all too well; he gave a small laugh and pointed to the booth in the corner. "Well, I think you've been spotted."

Brooke turned around and saw Joe sitting next to a pretty girl; on his other side was Chet. She was beginning to realize how much she missed everyone and looked back at Tony with tears in her eyes.

"Brooke, if you don't want to go I understand..." Tony hadn't thought she'd get upset.

"I'm sorry. It's not sad tears; it's happy tears. I've missed you all so much."

Tony reached over and patted her arm. "So you still want to go?"

"Of course. Ouch!" She pulled her arm back when he touched a sore spot.

"Sorry! What did I do?" he asked.

She pulled her long sleeve as far down as it would go. "It's nothing, Tony. Come on, why don't I go say hi to everyone. Hey, could I order a couple slices of the barbeque chicken pizza?"

"You bet. Go on over. I'll see if Jack will cover my tables for a few minutes so I can take a break. I bet Frank and Joe will be asking you a bunch of questions. They're turning into their father," Tony said with a wink.

"That's great. I'm glad to hear they're taking after him. I'll see you in a bit," she said and walked over to her friends.

Chet, who hadn't been paying attention to Frank and Joe, glanced up and saw Brooke coming over in their direction. "Brooke!" He immediately stood up and hugged her.

"Easy! It's good to see you too!" She wrapped her arms around Chet gently.

"It's been a long time," Joe said with a smile, and also stood to give Brooke a hug. "We've missed you. This is my girlfriend, Vanessa Bender. Vanessa, this is Brooke Tyler."

"Nice to meet you, Vanessa!" Brooke turned to Frank and Callie. "Good to see you both again. Sorry I never really got the chance to get to know you," Brooke told Callie.

"It's all right. We're all glad you're back. Are you sticking around or visiting?"

"Well, that hasn't been decided yet. I _want_ to stay here. I've missed Bayport so much."

"How're your mom and dad doing?" Frank asked – and saw Brooke's smile disappear.

"Mom's good. Dad…" Brooke paused, trying to think of what to say. "He could be better."

Frank was about to say something else when Tony came over to the group with Brooke's pizza. "You can all sit down, ya know!"

Brooke laughed. "They were all giving me hugs."

"Well, why don't we eat up? There's a lot to catch up on," Callie said, and they all agreed. Brooke slid in next to Frank, and Tony sat beside her. "I have a couple minutes," he told her.

"So, how long have you been in town?" Joe asked.

"Only two days. I happened to come in here for lunch and ran into Tony. I didn't expect to see him!" She smiled at the memory.

"I bet that made your day," Joe said to Tony, and Frank kicked him under the table.

Tony blushed. "Well, it did. I'll be honest, it definitely made my day."

Brooke also started to blush. "It did?"

Tony nodded. "I've missed you. We've all missed you. Trust me, you were the last person I expected to see today. Heck, I even made a fool out of myself."

She started to laugh. "Oh my gosh. I'm sorry about that. I didn't realize it was you!" She paused to contain her laughter. "You guys need to hear this story. Tell them!"

Tony knew he'd be teased for the remainder of the night for his story. "Fine," he said and told them what had happened:

_The lunch rush was finally starting to die down and Tony went into the kitchen to put in two orders. He came back out and went over to the fountain to get some drinks for his customers. After dropping the drinks off he checked on a couple of his other tables and refilled their beverages._

_He saw another family walk inside, but didn't notice the girl walking in behind them._

_He took the family's order and placed it in the kitchen. He came back out to get the soda refills for the other tables when someone spoke up. _

"_Excuse me, could I have a coke please?" a soft voice asked politely._

_His back was to her as he filled up other glasses. "Sure. One moment."_

"_Thank you! Take your time, I know you're busy." _

_Tony smiled at the girl's politeness. 'I wish more people were nice like that,' he thought to himself. He immediately poured the girl her soda and turned around to hand it to her. The moment he saw her face the soda slipped from his hands and fell to the floor._

_He bent down to grab the glass, which thankfully didn't break. The girl leaned over the counter and accidentally bumped the napkin holder, sending it flying onto Tony's head!_

"_Ouch!" _

"_I am so sorry!" The girl got up and went around the side of the counter. "Let me help you! Can I come back there?"_

_Tony looked up and the girl gasped. "Tony?"_

"_Um...hi, Brooke." He rubbed his head and stood up._

_Both were speechless for a brief moment until one of Tony's customers spoke up. "Kid, can we have our sodas please?"_

_Tony snapped back to reality. "Yeah, I'll be right there. Sorry." _

"_Um, take care of them. I'll mop up the soda for you." She smiled at him and went over to clean up the mess._

_Tony quickly delivered all the soda refills and orders that had to be dropped off at the tables. Every time he passed Brooke he couldn't help but stare at her. She was more beautiful than he could have imagined. In just this short period of time he felt like he was falling for her all over again._

"You what?!" Joe burst into laughter. The rest of the group laughed along with him.

"Be nice! I felt so bad. I can't believe I hit you on the head!" She looked at Tony, who was turning a deep shade of red. "Don't be embarrassed."

"Hey Tony!" He turned around and saw Jack approaching. "Tony, your shift is almost up. You're all set. I know you had plans tonight, so you're free to go if you want."

"Thanks Jack! I appreciate it, man."

"No prob! Have a good night!"

Brooke reached over and clasped Tony's hand. "What are you doing after the movie?"

"Well, I had a small homework assignment I was going to work on, but it's not due for a couple of days. I can work on it in the morning."

"Homework? What are you studying?" she asked. She silently wished she was in college, but due to her current situation, she knew it had to wait.

"Actually, I am taking the basic courses right now to get them out of the way. English, Psychology, Oral Communication. All that good stuff. I haven't decided my major yet."

"Well, right now we're going to major in seeing a movie. So eat up!" Joe prodded. "The movie starts in twenty minutes!"

"Sorry!" Brooke quickly ate her pizza and within a few minutes she was ready to go. "Nothing comes between a hungry girl and her pizza!"

Vanessa laughed. "When you date one of these guys, you gotta be ready to eat your heart out!"

"What's…(_chewing_) that supposed…(_chewing_) to mean?" Joe asked as he finished up the last slice.

Vanessa playfully rolled her eyes. "See my point?" she said, and everyone laughed.

"So, who's driving with who to the movies?" Frank asked.

"How about you four go together and I'll bring Brooke and Chet?" Tony suggested, wanting to spend time with her.

"Sounds good. Shall we get going?"

Tony took out his car keys and Brooke noticed a familiar key chain.

"You kept it?" she asked and reached over to look at it. It was the one she'd given him the last day she saw him.

Frank's eye caught sight of something no one else noticed. Brooke's sleeve lifted up slightly and he noticed what looked like a scar on her arm. What concerned him was that it started close to her wrist and made its way up. He was unable to see how far. He wondered what could have caused it. It reminded him of the last time he saw her in the bowling alley, except this time it wasn't bruises.

Brooke quickly covered her arm. She saw Frank looking at her arm and forced a small smile to her face.

"Yeah, I love it. I tried to catch you but you were gone after your father came to get you," Tony explained.

She decided to continue the talk with Tony later. "Let's go guys."

She wanted to get out of there. She wasn't about to let what happened a few weeks ago ruin her night. At least not yet. She knew Frank had seen her arm, and the time would soon come when she'd have to tell her friends the truth.

_At least I have my friends now. Hopefully things will be better this time. Maybe, just maybe, Mom and I can finally be free and not have to worry about him any more._


	6. Chapter 6

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 6

Back at the Hardy residence Fenton and Laura were enjoying dinner.

"Laura, this is delicious!" Fenton commented.

"I forgot the boys were going out tonight. I made the lasagna for all of us."

"I'm sure they'll be having some leftovers tomorrow, hon. They never pass up your lasagna." Fenton smiled. "Plus, it's a nice quiet evening. We can relax and watch some television together or go for a stroll?"

"I like the idea of us relaxing and watching some television. I'll make some brownies for dessert later. As a little welcome home after your last case."

"I'd like that. Then again, in the morning they'll be gone." They both laughed knowing when their boys came home they'd devour them.

"Fine, maybe I'll make two pans."

_Knock knock_

"I wonder who that could be?" Fenton stood up and walked over to the front door. He peered through the window. "Hon, you may want to come to the door!"

Seconds later, Laura came into the room. "Who is it?"

Fenton opened the front door and there stood Morgan Tyler.

"Oh my gosh!" Laura caught her friend in a hug. "Where on earth have you been?" Laura let go of Morgan and Fenton took a turn giving her a hug.

"It's great to see you both! It's a very long story, Laura. May I come in for a little bit?"

"I'll take your jacket," Fenton offered and she took it off.

"Thanks Fenton."

Laura ushered Morgan into the dining room. "We're having some lasagna. Would you care for a plate?"

Morgan sat down. "I would love some. Thank you for offering. I'm not interrupting you two, am I?" Morgan nervously asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't want to intrude…"

"Of course not! Fenton and I were just enjoying some quiet time. The boys are out with their girlfriends and friends tonight," Laura informed her as she got a plate and scooped a hefty portion of lasagna onto it. "Would you care for some bread? What would you like to drink?"

"Laura, you don't need to do that!"

"Just stay where you are. Eat up!"

"Okay. I'd love some bread and I'll have a glass of milk if you have any. If not I'll take something else." Morgan looked over at Fenton. "So, how's work been for you, Fenton? I noticed online you've solved many cases and put a lot of criminals in jail. Your family must be very proud!"

"It's been good. A lot of tough cases out there. I recently assisted with a kidnapping and a theft. Both were solved in a matter of days. My boys are starting to take after me. They've even solved a few cases and helped folks out. Frank's going to school majoring in Criminal Justice," Fenton proudly announced as Laura brought in a glass of milk and some bread.

"That's how Joe met his girlfriend Vanessa. When she moved into town the boys helped her out and Joe fell in love with her. She's a sweetheart" Laura added.

"That's amazing. You two are so lucky!" Morgan took a bite of her lasagna. "Laura, this is marvelous! The best lasagna I've ever had!"

"So, what brings you back to Bayport? We were worried when we found out you moved. It's been what? Two years or so?" Fenton asked.

Laura could see her friend's happiness slowly fade from her face. "Morgan, is something wrong?"

"Fenton, I do have an answer for you and yes, something is wrong. That's why I am here."

"Is Brooke okay? Or Scott?" Fenton asked.

Morgan sighed and then cringed at her husband's name. "Two years ago my husband decided it was time to move. He was offered a construction job for a company down south so he took it. When he told me about the offer I thought it was a good opportunity for him. At the time I had been laid off at work so we had to go where the money was." She paused for a moment and took a sip of her drink. "Well, two days before we moved we had a small incident where we were arguing and there was some pushing and shoving involved and I got hurt. I tripped and cut the side of my face and blackened my eye."

Laura gasped. "He did that to you?!"

Morgan nodded. "Yes. He told me he was sorry and that it was a mistake. He asked me not to show anyone, practically begging me in fear of getting him in trouble. So, I didn't. He had never done that before so I believed him.

"It turned out all that time, even after we moved, he'd been taking his anger out on someone else." Morgan wiped away a tear that trickled down her cheek. "It was Brooke."

Laura stood up and walked over to her friend, pulling a chair next to her. She placed a comforting hand on Morgan's arm. "Is Brooke all right?"

"Yes, she is. I found out from this." Morgan stood up and walked over to get something from her jacket and brought over a small journal. "It's her diary. In it, she explains all the times her father hit her and threatened her. When we moved, he turned into a total monster." She gave the diary to Fenton so he could take a look at it and sat back down. "She knows I have it and knows we have to go to the authorities. Please keep this information to yourselves."

"We won't tell a soul. Where is Scott?" Fenton asked as he thumbed through the diary.

"Probably looking for us," she said sadly. "We tried to leave over a month ago before we came here and he found us. We just stayed somewhere nearby because Brooke was upset and said she was going to leave town on her own. I couldn't let her do that! So, when he found us he asked us to come back home. He pretended to care and Brooke pulled me aside saying we should go or else he would hurt us both. She was really scared."

"Let me guess. When you returned, he hurt Brooke? Or you?" Fenton speculated.

Laura rubbed Morgan's back as she continued. "He argued with me about taking his daughter away from him and he slapped and shoved me. That's when Brooke came in and fought with him. She was trying to save me, when all this time she was the one keeping everything from me. I feel like I failed her."

"Oh honey, you didn't fail her! You're here now. That's what matters. We'll keep you safe." Laura gave her shoulders a squeeze.

"Thanks Laura. That means a lot."

"I don't mean to pry, but what happened the night you two fought and Brooke came in to help?" Fenton asked her. Knowing this would eventually be going to the police, he wanted to make sure he had the story right.

Morgan cried harder now. "They went into the living room continuing to argue, then he pushed her and she fell." She paused to control her tears. "She fell into a glass coffee table and it shattered. It cut her arm," she pointed to her elbow all the way to her wrist. "My baby almost died because of him! She's fine now, but the doctors said if she had been much later than she was getting to the hospital, she probably wouldn't have made it because of the blood loss. There were cuts in other places too, from the glass. It was so terrifying."

Laura felt tears form in her own eyes. "I am so sorry. What happened to Scott after that? He wasn't arrested?"

"The problem was that he said she tripped when they were arguing. I had been just seconds behind in the other room trying to calm down from our argument and walked in when I heard the table shatter. I was only able to tell them about what I heard. So basically no one's stories matched."

"What about Brooke's story?"

Morgan frowned. "That's where things fell apart. She was hospitalized for a few days and when she gave her statement, she said there had been an argument but she'd tripped on her own."

"Why would she say that?" Laura asked.

"He threatened her when she woke up. I didn't know of the threat until just last week when I found her diary. It had fallen in her laundry basket and was open and yes, it was honestly open. It was near the bottom under some clothes, so it must have fallen off her desk."

Fenton looked in the diary towards the end, looking for the possible entry. "She wrote that he threatened to kill you?" He was shocked that Scott turned out to be such a madman. He wasn't good friends with the man, but from the few times they'd run into each other he seemed to be fine.

"I told her I found her journal and mentioned I saw something about her getting hurt by Scott and she just broke down crying. Thankfully he was at work and that's when we planned to leave. She didn't go to college like she wanted. Instead she had gotten a job waiting tables at a nice restaurant to save money. She had planned on leaving one day with me. I had a job and thankfully had my own bank account as well and was able to save some money. So, we closed our accounts out and opened new ones here in Bayport. We're moving back home," she announced.

"Okay, I think we should head straight to the authorities with this information, Morgan. That way they can search for Scott before he finds you." Fenton stated. "I just want to make sure that I have this straight. Brooke was the only one harmed this entire time? You weren't? With the exception of when you moved he hit you that once?"

"Right."

"Okay. Where are you staying? Just so we know where to find you if we have to. I don't want to stress you out tonight, so I'll get things started for you."

"The Comfort Inn. I'll give you our cell phone numbers before I leave and the room number. You have no idea how much this means to me. To us," she corrected herself.

"Where's Brooke right now? At the hotel? Laura asked.

A smile crept back onto Morgan's face. "She's with some friends tonight. I'm picking her up later. We ran into Tony Prito at the mall. If there is one person that girl missed the most, it was Tony. She was so upset when we moved. She didn't have many friends after that. She told me it was because she always intended on [leaving and coming back here."

"I'm glad to hear she's with him. Frank, Joe and their girlfriends are with Tony tonight. She's in good hands."

"May I ask one more question?" Fenton glanced up from the diary. "Why didn't you go to the authorities before coming here? That would have saved you the worry about making sure he was behind bars before you moved."

"I knew that was coming." Morgan sighed again. "Well, I wanted to talk to someone I could trust. He's friends with some people in law enforcement and I couldn't be a hundred percent sure if I could trust them. I didn't want him finding out and hurting Brooke again. In fact, she wanted to leave and then tell the authorities. Just so we were both out of harm's way."

"How long have these problems been going on?" Fenton asked, and then thought to look in the beginning of the diary. He saw the first page started well over a year ago.

"When she finally told me about everything, she told me he started hitting her over three years ago. It started out very small and then escalated. She said it was just before we moved that things started getting bad. Look at these." Morgan reached into her purse and handed Fenton some photographs. "She took a couple pictures of things that happened to her when I wasn't around. Some are bruises and some are scrapes. I took photos of her when she ended up in the hospital. She was sleeping. I showed them to her a few days ago, for when we went to the police."

Laura covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my gosh!" They were looking at some graphic photographs of dark bruises along Brooke's arms and legs. Then came the photo of Brooke's arm that was cut open from the glass. There were stitches going about eight inches down her arm. "Poor Brooke! Maybe we should have you stay with us, Morgan. Or someone we know! In case that man comes looking for you!"

"I agree," Fenton said. "We need to think of somewhere he won't think to look. Let me check around. I bet he'll check all the hotels around here if he suspects you came back, which is a likely possibility. I want to get you two to safety, immediately." He turned to Laura. "Honey, I am going to take this information to the police in a little bit. I'm going to get some more information from Morgan so we can work on this."

"Good! I don't get why Scott would have done this. This is so awful!" Laura exclaimed.

"I don't know what happened to him. Everything was great and then it went downhill so fast. He started drinking a few years ago. I don't know…"

"Why don't you two go ahead and eat? I'll be right back." Fenton excused himself and departed to his office.

"Eat up, Morgan. If it's cold I'll heat it up," Laura said and settled back to finish her dinner, even though her appetite had disappeared. She wondered if Scott knew where Brooke and Morgan were or if they were safe for now…

Scott Tyler sat in front of the computer, tapping his fingers impatiently. He was growing annoyed as he looked through the last few days of history that were still stored in the files. His wife had forgotten to erase them. He hoped the answer to his wife and daughter's disappearance would be in there somewhere.

Shortly after, he had his answer. He found information on the town of Bayport and his wife's friends from when they lived there. _That must be where they're headed!_

He knew he had to put a stop to them both before they landed him in jail.

He stood up, and grabbed his jacket and the keys to his truck.

A couple of minutes later he was in the truck, starting the engine. Before he backed out of the driveway, he opened the glove compartment, checking to make sure his gun was still inside.

He was going to have to bring them back, or silence them once and for all.


	7. Chapter 7

The Pain Of Silence

Chapter 7

Con Riley shook his head as he read Brooke's diary. "I can't believe all that stuff she went through. We'll have to wait to hear back from the local police, Fenton."

Fenton sat across from Riley. "I understand. We just want to know his whereabouts, in case he makes his way up here. I know the one big problem we face is that he didn't commit the crimes here."

Riley scratched his dark-graying hair. "Exactly. I hope he hasn't left town yet and they'll be able to prosecute him down south. Or else this is gonna be one big mess if he shows up."

"If he does and tries anything against Morgan or their daughter, we'll have reason to arrest him. These photos are proof right here. All we need to do is catch him. I am considering having them stay with someone we know in case he shows up," Fenton explained. "I am thinking that way, if he does, he won't know where to look. I'm sure he'll check every hotel or motel he can find. What are your thoughts on that?"

"Who did you have in mind? I would say check with your sons' friends or maybe someone you or Laura know?" Con suggested.

"I'll talk with my boys when they come home tonight. Maybe they can talk to their girlfriends first thing in the morning. I don't think we have time to search around for someone. They're always willing to help."

_Ring ring_

"Excuse me." Riley picked up the telephone. "Bayport Police, Con Riley speaking." He paused to listen and a few seconds later he pressed the speaker button on his phone.

"_We are at their home and no one's here. We'll check back first thing in the morning. I'd make sure they're out of harm's way. We can't be certain if he's left or not."_

"Thanks Bill. I appreciate it."

"_May I add something sir?" _

"Sure, go ahead." Riley grabbed a pen and a pad of paper.

"_I just wanted to let you know an officer informed me he knows Scott very well. I guess he did some construction work on his house and would be shocked if what you said happened were actually true. He can't picture Scott harming someone. He also said he's been friends ever since…"_

"Bill, I understand that, but let me assure you that everyone here would have never believed he would harm anyone, but the photos and diary say otherwise," Riley informed him.

"_I know, Riley, but something doesn't seem right. Why all of a sudden would she just be saying something now? Why not two years ago? My officers are making valid points."_

"Riley, Morgan said he was friends with some police down there and that's why she didn't speak to them first." Fenton whispered.

Riley nodded. "Bill, I have no idea why she waited so long. From the sounds of it, it seems like he threatened her. We'll talk more in the morning about this. Let me know if you find him. Okay?"

"_You bet. Good night Riley."_

Riley said goodbye and they heard a soft click.

"I really don't believe Morgan or Brooke would make this up. I bet you Scott had everyone wrapped around his finger down there in case something like this happened." Fenton was getting angry. "I'm going to head home and talk to my wife. I'm sure Morgan's gone back to the hotel by now."

"Fenton, you may want to bring her in tomorrow so we can take her statement. At least get the entire story. I am going to keep the photos and diary here for evidence." Riley sighed. "This is a shot in the dark right now. I am being honest with you, I wish they had said something down south because being so far from their home and where all this happened is making it harder for us." He stood up to walk Fenton to the door.

"I know what you mean. I agree with you but they didn't feel comfortable down there. At least they're with folks they can trust now. Have a good night, Riley, I'll see you in the morning."

Both men said their goodbyes and Fenton made his way home.

"We'll have to get together tomorrow after school!" Vanessa said to Brooke and the others. "This was a blast. Are you all free tomorrow?"

"I'd love to!" Brooke exclaimed, waiting for everyone's answers.

"I'm busy tomorrow after school, sorry." Chet frowned.

"It's all right! Some other time then," Brooke smiled at him. "I'm glad you were here tonight! I've missed this so much!"

"We don't have any plans for tomorrow. Callie?" Frank said.

"Sounds good. I'm pretty sure I don't have anything going on. I'll let you know in the morning, Frank. I just want to double check with my parents."

"Tony?" Frank asked.

"I have the night off from work. That sounds…"

_Ring ring_

Frank pulled his cell phone from his pocket and noticed it was his father calling. "One sec, guys. Hi Dad."

"_Frank, is Brooke still with you?"_ "Yes she is. Why, is something wrong?" 

"_Um, not really. It's a long story. I just wanted to make sure all of you were all right." _

"Of course we are. Dad, what's going on?" Frank was concerned. He knew his father wouldn't call unless it was important.

"_I'll explain to you when you get home. Is there any chance that Vanessa and Callie can swing by before you drop them off?"_

"What for?" Frank asked.

"_Son, can you ask them? I'll explain when you get here."_

Frank looked from Callie to Vanessa. "Can you both stop by our house before we take you home? My dad wants to talk to you about something."

"Sure, I have time," Vanessa answered and Callie nodded in agreement.

"I just don't want to be to late. I have some homework to finish before I go to bed," Callie informed him.

"Yes Dad, we'll be home in a little bit," Frank told him.

"_Thanks, son. See you in a bit."_

"Bye, Dad," and he hung the phone up.

"What was that about?" Joe asked.

"I have no idea…"

_Beep beep_

Everyone looked for the source of the noise, and saw Mr. Morton pull up in his truck.

"Hello kids!" 

Everyone greeted him as he parked. "Chet, I just got out of work. Do you want a ride home?" he offered.

"Sounds good. I'll talk to you guys later. It was good to see you Brooke!" Chet gave her a hug goodbye.

"Thanks Chet. See you soon!" she said and waved goodbye as he got inside the vehicle.

"Well, what's gonna happen now?" Tony asked.

"We better head home. I'm assuming if Dad wants to talk to us it must be something important." Frank gave Brooke a hug. "See you tomorrow."

Everyone said their goodbyes and soon Tony and Brooke were left in the parking lot. "Well, shall we…" Tony wasn't sure what to suggest.

"Want to get some ice cream or…?" Brooke was trying to think of something for them to do.

"How about Unos? They have a good dessert menu."

"I'd like that." Brooke smiled and got into Tony's car.

Minutes later they were sitting across from each other in a booth at Uno's. "I'll have the brownie bowl please. With vanilla ice cream," Brooke ordered.

"That sounds good actually. I'll have the same." Tony handed the waitress their menus.

"Would you like a drink while you wait?" the waitress offered.

"I'll have a coke," Tony said.

"Make that two."

"I'll be right back with those." The waitress departed to get their drinks.

"Did you have fun tonight?" Tony asked.

"I had a blast! I haven't been out with anyone in…well, it feels like forever."

After a few minutes their desserts arrived and they started to eat, chatting about everything that had gone on over the past two years. As they became reacquainted, Tony began to feel as if she'd never left.

"Oh! I want to show you something. Do you mind if I sit next to you?" Brooke asked.

Tony shook his head. "Not at all." When she sat beside him, he began to realize how much he still cared about her. During the movie he hadn't been able to sit next to her because Callie and Vanessa had been on either side of her.

"Look at these." She showed him some pictures she'd had in her purse. "I kept them with me all the time."

Tony looked through the photos and came across one of him and Brooke sitting side by side at Joe's birthday party. Tony had taken a party hat and put it on her head and Brooke had been rolling her eyes. He knew it was one of her favorite candid moments of them together. "That's awesome. Didn't Joe's mom take that?"

Brooke nodded. "Yeah, that was a fun time. No one was using them so you picked one up and tried to scare me!" She took a bite of her ice cream and brownie.

"I just wish we didn't miss two years." Tony's eyes saddened.

"I'm here now. We have all the time in the world to make up for it! Wait! You don't have a girlfriend do you?!" Brooke realized she'd never asked him that.

Tony shook his head. "Nope, I never had one after you left."

"Really?" Brooke was surprised; she'd always thought him one of the most handsome boys she'd ever met. "You can't tell me that someone didn't try and win that heart of yours?"

"Well, a couple tried. I never gave in though."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because after my seventeenth birthday it dawned on me. There was only one person who meant a lot to me." He smiled meaningfully at her.

Brooke blushed. "Really?" 

He nodded. "Yeah. I had wanted to ask you out, but you were gone. I was hoping to hear from you but never did."

She frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't have a choice, Tony."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I don't want to ruin our night. I'll tell you later. Go on with what you were saying." She wanted to know how he felt about her. All the years she had known him, and as they grew older, she wanted to go out with him. She just never had the courage to ask and decided to drop subtle hints instead.

"Well, I didn't really focus on looking for a relationship. No one ever caught my eye. Only you did."

"Oh Tony!" Her face turned a deeper shade of pink, almost red.

"I know it's only been a day, but I want to be honest with you. It feels like, now, that you've never left." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "There's something I've wanted to do ever since that day you kissed me," he said and she just starred at him. He leaned close, and softly kissed her lips. He held her chin with his other hand and continued to kiss her. When he pulled away Brooke had a huge smile on her face.

She rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm so glad to be home." She couldn't believe he just kissed her. "This has got to be the best night I've had in a long time. Thank you, Tony." She gave him a kiss and looked at their desserts. "The ice cream's almost melted. Why don't we finish up and I'll call my mom and she can come get me."

"Okay. Why don't you call your mom and tell her I'll drop you off."

"All right. I will when we leave."

They both finished their desserts and paid the bill; Brooke called her mom as they left their restaurant.

"She said thank you," she announced.

"So, did you want to tell me about what happened? Since we have time," Tony suggested as they both got into his car.

"Actually, let me talk to my mom first. It's honestly a very long story, Tony. It's not easy to talk about," she admitted.

"Oh! I'm sorry – I didn't mean to pry. Whenever you want to tell me is fine."

"It's okay. I promise I'll tell you. Maybe tomorrow," she said.

"Sounds good."

The remainder of the drive went by quickly as they arrived at the Comfort Inn.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Tony. Thanks so much for a wonderful evening." She kissed his cheek and said goodbye.

"Good night. I'll call you tomorrow."

She got out of his car and waved him off. She couldn't wait to tell her mom about her night.

"So, did you have fun?" Morgan asked her daughter.

"I had a ton of fun! Tony kissed me!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Aw! Take it easy, honey. We've only been back a couple days!" 

"I know, Mom, but I've wanted that for the past two years! I missed him so much!" she said. "Oh, how did the talk with Mr. Hardy go? Or haven't you done that yet?"

"It went well. He took your diary and photos to the authorities. They are checking to see if your father is still down south or not. Fenton told me he's going to have us stay with someone they know. He doesn't want your father showing up and looking for us at hotels."

Relief swept over Brooke. "Thank goodness."

"Don't worry, honey. We're going to make sure he can't hurt you again." Morgan reached over and placed a reassuring hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I couldn't bear to see you get hurt again."

Brooke gave her mom a reassuring smile. "Hopefully the police will find him before he finds us."

"I'm sure with help from the Hardys and other friends you'll be safe, honey."

Brooke hoped her mother was right. The last time they tried to leave, they didn't get far and her father had nearly killed her. As brave as she appeared, deep down Brooke was terrified.


	8. Chapter 8

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 8

Frank pulled into their driveway and the group quickly hustled inside. "Hi Dad, what's going on?" Frank greeted his father who was sitting on the couch with Laura.

"Well, why don't you come in and get comfortable? We need to talk about something important and we need some help, which is why I asked you to bring Callie and Vanessa along with you."

Callie and Vanessa exchanged glances, wondering what the Hardys could possibly need their help for. "What's going on Mr. Hardy?" Vanessa asked as she sat with Joe on the loveseat. Callie sat down on the recliner and Frank stood beside her.

"From what I've heard, you spent some time with Brooke this evening? Mrs. Tyler's daughter."

"Yes. We just found out she was back in town today and Tony invited her," Joe explained.

"Well, Mrs. Tyler came to us this evening with some disturbing news. Did Brooke mention anything at all to you boys of where she's been or what's happened since she's been gone?" Fenton inquired.

"Not much. Just that she's hoping to stay in Bayport. Why? Is something wrong with Mrs. Tyler or Brooke?" Frank asked.

"Well, let me explain a few things first. Then I'll tell you what's going on. Mrs. Tyler informed us that the reason she left Bayport in the first place is because her husband was offered a job and he wanted to move. Now, the reason she never told us is because he abused her and asked her not to say anything or see anyone. Probably fearing he'd be arrested." Fenton heard several gasps in the room. "That had been the first time he hurt her. He apologized to her and she thought it was a one time thing, but it wasn't."

"So Brooke's mom has been abused all this time?" Joe asked.

"Not quite. It wasn't her mom that was abused, Joe." Fenton's expression became grim. "It was Brooke."

"Oh my gosh! She never said a word about it!" Callie said.

Frank thought about Brooke's reaction when Tony patted her arm. "Dad, I think something was wrong with her arm tonight. She pulled it away, trying to hide something that looked like a scar. I didn't think anything of it at the time," he said. "Which reminds me of something else. The last time we saw her before this, she had bruises on her arm and she told us that she'd had a fall. Maybe it was from her father?" Frank looked at Joe. "Do you remember her saying her arm hurt?"

Joe nodded. "Vaguely, but we can't be sure it was her father, although it does seem likely."

"Frank, what you probably saw tonight was from what happened to her over a month ago. Her mom tried to take her away from home and her father found them. An argument ensued and she was hurt and ended up in the hospital."

"Why didn't he go to jail?" Vanessa demanded indignantly.

"From what Morgan explained, she did not witness what happened and Scott told the cops Brooke fell. When Brooke woke up, he threatened her, so she falsified her story." Fenton took a deep breath. "So, what we are hoping to do is get them out of the hotel they are staying in, in case Scott comes looking for them. This is until we can find him and hopefully make him pay for what he's done."

"What have you done so far? I'm assuming the police have been contacted? Just so we know what's going on," Frank asked.

"I went and spoke to Con Riley. He's already made phone calls and if we find out in the morning that Scott is not at his house or hasn't been home, then we're going to take precautions to ensure those two remain safe. That's why I wanted to talk to Callie and Vanessa . Girls, do either of you have an extra spare room in your house so maybe they could stay with you? Vanessa, I am aware your mother is at a conference in California from what Joe told me." Fenton paused and Vanessa nodded. "Callie, do you think your parents would mind helping us out? I am hoping it would be for a night or two at most."

"Sir, I'm not sure if my parents have room for them right now. They've taken our guest room apart for some remodeling. It's a mess. I can see if we can tidy it up…"

"Callie, I can help them, don't worry." Vanessa smiled. "I'd love to have them over. My mom won't be home for a few days, so I'm sure she'll be happy to hear I have company. I'll call her when I get home to double-check, but I'm sure they can come over whenever they'd like."

Joe leaned over and kissed Vanessa's cheek. "Thanks."

Vanessa blushed. "Whatever I can do to help."

"Great! Vanessa, we appreciate it very much." Fenton looked at his boys. "May I speak with you both for a moment?"

Both boys stood up and followed their father into his office. He closed the door behind them. "I wanted to show you something," he said and pulled out copies of the pictures Morgan had given him. "This is what happened to Brooke the last time her father…well, you get the gist of it."

Both Frank and Joe took turns looking over the photographs. "Wow, this is worse than I thought," Frank admitted. "Dad, should we have someone stay with them all the time? I don't think they should be left alone."

"I would say yes, but I don't think that'll be necessary. If Scott can't be found then we'll have them stay with Vanessa. School gets out early enough for you two," he said, looking at Joe. "If you and Vanessa want to spend time with them that'd be great. I'm sure Tony and the others will be spending time with her as well." Both boys looked at each other when they heard Tony's name. Fenton noticed the awkward silence. "What is it?"

"It's Tony. He doesn't know. Well, at least we're pretty sure he doesn't from the way he acted tonight. Should we say anything?" Joe wondered if it was their place to mention anything.

"Talk to Brooke when you see her. I remember you told me a while back that he liked Brooke so that's completely different. It's more personal. Let's not worry about that just yet. Oh! Before I forget, here's a written description of Scott's truck. Look it over and memorize the license plate. Morgan is hoping to get a photo of the truck for us," Fenton informed them.

They went over everything else Morgan had told Fenton and Laura and then the boys left to give their girlfriends a ride home.

"Joe, when we get out of school we'll have them come over. That's if your dad says it's necessary. Is that okay?" Vanessa asked.

"That's fine. From the sounds of it, I'm sure it hasn't taken Scott this long to figure out Brooke and her mother are missing. Frank, what time do you get out of your classes tomorrow?"

"I get done at five. Maybe tomorrow we can talk to them a little bit more to see what we're dealing with," Frank announced.

Fifteen minutes later both boys were back at home and called it a night.

Brooke lay down on her bed. After what her mom had told her about having spoken to Fenton and asking for help, she knew that Frank and Joe would know about everything...and she wondered what she'd say to them they next time she saw them.

She sighed in frustration and propped her head up on the pillow, waiting for her mom to come out of the bathroom. A couple more minutes went by, then Morgan finally emerged in her bathrobe.

"Are you ready to call it a night, sweetie?" Morgan walked over to her daughter and sat on the edge of the bed. "Is something wrong?" She noticed the sad look on her daughter's face.

"Mom, I've been thinking about Dad. I don't understand what went wrong," she frowned. "I mean, one day he's fine and the next he's not. It's been on my mind and I know we haven't talked about it a lot, but…"

"Honey, I don't know what happened to your father. As far as I knew, he was a kind-hearted person. I don't know what caused him to do this. You and I are both confused, darlin'." Morgan gently stroked Brooke's hair.

"Do you think he can get help? Maybe some day he'll be better?" Brooke cared a lot for her father despite his abuse problems. For fifteen years of her life he had never laid a violent hand on her and then things suddenly changed. She remembered saying to her friends he was the best father anyone could ever have.

"Honey, I think Dad is going to be getting some help once the police can take care of him. From what you've told me though, he's going to probably go to jail."

Brooke wiped away the tear that trickled down her cheek. "I'm sorry I never said anything sooner, Mom. I can't believe I let it go this far."

"Brooke, it's going to be okay. You were scared for yourself and me. If I had ever found out he hurt you all this time, this would have been over a long time ago. I'm sorry I never noticed your pain." Morgan also felt responsible for her daughter's injuries and pain over the years. She knew Brooke had done a good job of hiding it, but she felt as though she let her daughter down. "I promise, I will make this up to you. We'll get our own apartment or maybe a nice house. Then we can start over. You already have all of your friends here. It will be great!"

"If you say so. Hey Mom, do you think Dad had problems in his past? I read something online about a lady that abused her children and doctors claimed it was because she was abused all her life as a child. Do you think Dad may have started drinking and hurting me as a result of something that may have happened to him?" Brooke asked her and sat up.

"Hon, I'm not a doctor. I have no idea, but that is a good point. I've never heard him say anything before. It's a possibility. I'll see if I can look into it." Morgan said.

"Thanks Mom. I know it's a long shot, but I saw that a couple days before we left home. It's just been so hectic I forgot about it until now. I just want to see Dad get help. I honestly miss him."

Morgan was shocked. "You miss him? After what he's done to you?"

"Mom, I miss the father I had a few years ago. Before this all started happening." She wiped away a few more tears that had spilled over. "I can't help it. He's my father. Things weren't always bad. I just wish…" she paused to contain her emotions. "I just wish I could go back in time and stick up for myself when this all started happening. Maybe, just maybe things wouldn't be like they are. We wouldn't be running away from him. I feel like I've ruined our family." Brooke started crying as guilt consumed her.

Morgan wrapped her arms around her and squeezed. "This is _not_ your fault. You were scared. You didn't know what to do! It's _his_ fault! Don't blame yourself! You had no idea this was going to happen, sweetie." She continued to caress her daughter's back to comfort her until she finally calmed down. "There…are you okay?"

Brooke nodded. "Sorry, Mom. Do you mind if I go take a bath? I just need to calm down. Everything's been getting to me."

Morgan released her. "Of course. Do you want me to wait up for you?"

Brooke stood up. "No, get some sleep. I'll just be a little bit. Good night, Mom. Sorry for…"

"Don't apologize! It's all right. I understand what you're going through." Morgan embraced her daughter. "I'm here for you. You can tell me whatever is on your mind. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom. Good night." Brooke departed to the bathroom and took a long bath.

_I wonder if they'll find him or if he's already on his way here. I wonder who we'll be staying with…_ she sighed. _Tomorrow's gonna be a long day…_


	9. Chapter 9

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 9

Fenton pulled up to the police station and parked his car. He looked at his watch and noticed it was just before noon. He was beginning to think that Scott hadn't been found or else he would have heard something by now.

He made his way inside and found Con Riley talking to another officer. From the expression on his face, Fenton could tell he wasn't happy.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen" Fenton greeted them.

"I was just about to call you. It just so happens that Officer Reynolds here has received two prank calls today. Some sick kid is having fun at our expense. Excuse me Reynolds, I'm going to talk with Fenton for a moment and I'll be back in a bit." Officer Riley made his way to his desk and sat down. "Fenton, we haven't been able to locate Scott Tyler. The officer I've been speaking with this morning even said one of his men tried contacting him and had no luck. I think we should have the two women stay with someone now."

"Vanessa Bender, Joe's girlfriend, offered to let them stay with her. I will give Joe a call and have them go there tonight" Fenton stated.

"Fenton, I have to warn you: Scott has committed no crimes here in Bayport, so we can't arrest him. The only thing we can do is keep them safe. If he makes a move and tries to hurt them, then we can, but until that happens…"

Fenton nodded. "I am well aware of that. I just wanted to make sure you knew what was going on. Well, I'll let you get back to what you were doing. I hope you catch that prank caller. Nothing like wasting time chasing after someone who thinks crime is a joke," he said sadly.

"Yeah, tell me about it. The first call was a prank robbery and the second a shooting. Have a good day. I'll call you if I hear anything." Con Riley walked his friend to the front door and they said their goodbyes.

Fenton pulled out his cell phone and called Joe as he walked to his car, but got his voicemail.

"Hi Joe. I wanted to let you know that Scott Tyler has not been located. If you can, please let Vanessa know so that we can have Mrs. Tyler and her daughter stay there tonight. Give me a call and let me know you got this message. If there are any problems, let me know. I'm calling Mrs. Tyler now to let her know what's going on." Fenton ended the call and dialed Mrs. Tyler's number as he unlocked his car and got inside. She picked up on the third ring.

"Hi, Morgan, it's Fenton. How are you?"

"_I'm good! Any good news?"_

"Not really. They haven't found Scott, so the plan for now will be, that once Joe and Vanessa are out of school, they'll have you go to her house and stay there until this is resolved," he announced.

"_That's fine. Brooke and I will make sure we're ready to go when they get here. Are you sure she doesn't mind us staying there?"_

"Morgan, don't worry! Vanessa is a nice girl. Her mom is out of town so she wanted the company."

"_Okay. I'll let you go, Fenton. I have to go check on Brooke. She went down to the pool for a swim."_

Fenton laughed. "Well, at least you two are enjoying yourselves. All right, if you need anything give me a call. And if I hear anything, I'll let you know!"

"_Thanks Fenton! Oh wait! You know, Brooke made a good point about something last night. It may be something to look into."_ She filled him in on Brooke's comments about her father's family background and how she believed there must be a reason behind what was causing his abuse and anger_. "Fenton, his younger brother Rick Tyler lives less than two hours from here. I can give you his_ _phone number. I bet you'd be better at asking him questions than I would. I wouldn't know where to begin."_

"I'll give him a call. You've got a bright daughter, to be thinking of something like that."

"_Thanks. She was pretty upset last night. She wants to see her father get help."_ Morgan gave Fenton Rick's phone number and address. Then they both said their goodbyes and Fenton went home.

A few minutes later, Fenton sat inside his office and dialed Rick Tyler's number. He hoped the man would have some useful information.

"_Hello_?" a deep voice answered.

"Hello, may I please speak to Rick Tyler?" Fenton asked politely.

"_This is him."_

"Mr. Tyler, my name is Fenton Hardy, and I am calling on behalf of your sister-in-law Morgan Tyler."

"_Ah! Morgan! Is she okay?" _

"Oh, yes, she's fine. Well, not quite. I'm working for her and her daughter Brooke. This is regarding your older brother Scott. Have you heard from him recently?" Fenton asked, ready to take notes.

"_No I haven't. May I ask what this is about?" _

"It's honestly quite difficult to talk about this over the phone, but let me fill you in on what's happening so you're aware of the situation." Fenton went over why Morgan and her daughter were back in Bayport and Brooke's hospitalization and the abuse.

"_Oh my goodness. Well, I don't know where to begin…the poor girl."_ There was a moment of silence on the other end.

"Mr. Tyler, if you'd like, I'd be more than willing to drive up and speak to you in person. I understand this is a lot to take in over the phone."

There was more silence and Fenton heard a woman's voice in the background followed by Tyler's voice telling her to wait.

"Mr. Hardy, maybe it would be best to speak in person. My wife leaves for work at four this afternoon. Would you like to arrive any time after that?"

"That would work. I can be there some time after six. Do you mind if one of my sons comes along? One of them is staying with Morgan and Brooke to make sure they're okay."

"_Not at all_. _Here's my address."_ Mr. Tyler gave Fenton directions to his house and the conversation ended..

It was after four in the afternoon when Morgan followed Joe and Vanessa back to Vanessa's house. She and Brooke were soon settled in the guest room upstairs while Joe and Vanessa waited for them in the kitchen.

"I'll sleep on the couch." Joe smiled.

Vanessa shook her head and laughed. "I take it you won't be leaving us alone? Not that I'm complaining."

"I must stay here and take care of you, along with Mrs. Tyler and Brooke."

"The man of the house, huh?" Vanessa giggled as Joe leaned in for a kiss.

"What's wrong with that?" he said with a frown.

"Nothing. I like it," she blushed.

"Frank sent me a text saying he's going with Dad to talk to Brooke's uncle, who may have some helpful information for them. I wanted to go too, but they don't need all of us. Plus, I get to keep you all company. So," he looked around the kitchen. "What's for dinner?"

Vanessa playfully rolled her eyes. "How about tacos? I have to run to the grocery store and get some more groceries tomorrow."

Mrs. Tyler walked into the kitchen. "Honey, I'll give you some money for groceries. Or, I can go get some things for you if you'd like. It's the least I can do for you letting us stay here."

"Mrs. Tyler, you don't have to do that! Do you like tacos?" Vanessa asked as she went over to the fridge and looked inside.

Brooke appeared beside her mother. "Hey guys. Vanessa, your house is awesome."

"Thanks. My mom and I moved here about eight months ago. We love it. Would anyone care for a drink?" she asked and everyone accepted. Vanessa poured four glasses of pink lemonade and started cooking dinner.

It was just after six-thirty as Fenton pulled up in front of Rick Tyler's home. "He said his wife's at work, so I am guessing we'll be the only ones here."

Frank stepped out of the car and waited for his father. "I'm glad he agreed to meet with us. Hopefully we'll get something good out of this."

They both walked up to the front door and Fenton knocked.

Someone peered through a window and Frank turned to his father. "I think we have someone else…"

"Hello!" a cheery voice cried as a girl about Frank's age opened the front door. She gazed at them curiously, playing with her long blonde hair, looping it around her finger.

"Hi, is your father here?" Fenton asked, hoping he had the right address.

"Yes he is, come on in. Are you Mr. Hardy? The detective?!" she asked excitedly.

"Yes I am and this is my son Frank." The girl quickly shook hands with them both.

"It is such an honor to meet you! The both of you! I've heard about you both! Sir, I can't believe you managed to solve the case with the paintings that were stolen! Oh! And the way you risked your life to save that young girl being held captive—"

"Samantha!" A man came around the corner with a cloth in his hands. He wiped off a hand and stuck it out. "Good evening. I'm Rick Tyler."

Fenton introduced himself and Frank once more and Rick looked at Samantha, whose bright blue eyes were glued on Frank. "Mr. Hardy, you'll have to excuse my daughter here. She watches the news every day and she's kept an eye on your work. She considers you a local idol."

Frank's gaze kept going back and forth from Samantha to Mr. Tyler. _Oh boy, what did we get into! _He held back a smile.

"Samantha, honey, could I have a word with you?" Mr. Tyler requested. "Excuse me for one moment. Feel free to sit in the dining room. I'll be right there." They both went into the other room.

Frank looked at his father and smiled. "You have a fan."

His father grinned. "Who was she staring at?"

Frank almost laughed, trying to remain serious. "This'll be interesting." They sat at the dining table.

Mr. Tyler returned with some papers in his hands and placed them on the dining table. "Samantha is finishing up some cookies. We were getting them ready as you knocked. Anyway…" he sighed and sat down. He looked over at Frank. "Sorry about my daughter. I told her I had some guests coming and when she heard your name," he looked at Fenton. "She got all excited. So, shall we begin?"

"Yes, thank you," Fenton said. "I know I already told you what's going on, so basically I need to know if there is anything that could have caused your brother to suddenly act the way he has been. It's been going on for about three years now. From what I've been told, the abuse has escalated over time," Fenton continued. "Do you have any idea what possibly could have led your brother to do something like this? I'm not sure how much you two talk or what your past was like but any information would be helpful in this case."

"Well, there is something I would like to show you. Now, whether or not it has to do with this, I don't know, but it's worth taking a look at." Mr. Tyler thumbed through the papers in front of him and pulled out a few pages. He handed some to Fenton and some to Frank. "Those are articles on my brother. One of them is from his childhood when he was hospitalized and our father was found guilty of hurting him. Our father's wife at the time was unaware of any abuse so…" he paused and took a deep breath. "So basically they let him go and kept close watch over my father. Things seemed to get better over time but…"

"But they didn't." Frank finished.

Tyler shook his head. "No, in fact, things just got worse. What's happening to Brooke seems like it's the same thing that happened to him."

"How long did this go on for?" Fenton asked.

Mr. Tyler thought about it briefly. "Maybe a couple years at least. No one knew Dad was abusing Scott until…until I saw what he did to him one night. I was hiding in our closet. We had been playing 'hide and seek' and I was hiding. Our father came in drunk and pushed my brother. I forget what he said to him, but something angered Dad, and he backhanded Scott across the face. I was ten and he was twelve years old. So, when my father left the room, Scott had a bloody lip and I called our mom at work. She came right home and called the cops. That's when Scott showed the cops his bruises, cuts and told them everything that had happened to him."

"Wow. That's horrible. I'm sorry to hear that." Frank said and looked at his father. "Maybe that has something to do with what's happening now?"

Rick cleared his throat and passed Fenton one more article. "There may be something else that caused it. Take a look at this…"


	10. Chapter 10

The Pain Of Silence

Chapter 10

Fenton looked over the article as Mr. Tyler continued.

"Nearly four years ago, Scott was helping build some warehouses and he had an accident. He had been walking across a beam and someone left something that he ended up slipping on. I don't remember what caused it, but he ended up falling nearly two stories. His head hit the beam and when he fell, he hit his head again on the cement floor. He also sprained his wrist and bruised his leg."

Fenton spoke up. "He's pretty lucky. The article said it was over a two story fall, close to three."

"Here you are. gentlemen." Samantha came out of the kitchen with a tray of cookies and placed them on the table. She sat right beside Frank, smiling at him.

Rick smiled at his daughter. "Thanks Sam. Anyway, the doctors kept him under observation for a few days. He had some swelling that eventually went down, but nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe a screw came loose after all, if you know what I mean?" he asked, not wanting to say anything inappropriate in front of his daughter.

"I'm not a doctor, but that's possible," Fenton said. "Do you have a copier or scanner so I may have copies of these articles?"

"Of course. I'll do that right now. Sam, keep our guests company, I'll be right back." Rick departed the room. Fenton would have liked to discuss the case with Frank, but decided to wait until they had left.

"So, Samantha, thanks for making these cookies." Fenton reached over and took a cookie.

"You're welcome, sir." She looked at Frank. "Want one?"

_If Joe were here, he'd be having a blast right now. _"Sure, that'd be great." She handed him a cookie and Frank ate it.

"What are you working on right now?" she asked.

"Oh, well, we're working for your aunt right now. She's just having us look into a few things." Fenton was trying to stay away from bringing up her uncle.

"That's neat! So, have you always wanted to take after your father?" she asked Frank.

"I guess you can say that," he smiled. "For Joe and me, it seemed to come naturally. We like to help people."

"Aw, that's so sweet. You must be very brave." She batted her eyelashes at him.

Frank looked at his father for help, but got none, as his father was enjoying watching them. Fenton simply smiled at his son.

_Thanks a lot, Dad!_ "Um, I try to be. It's a tough line of work. It's too bad Joe isn't here. He has a lot of good stories to tell. He loves—"

"But you're the one who's here," she smiled. "Why don't you tell me one?"

"Well, we've helped with kidnappings, thefts…you've heard of most of them already though…right?" he asked, guessing she already knew about their cases and jobs.

"Oh yes! Oh, I'm sorry about the death of your friend last year. What a tragedy! What was her name…" Samantha thought hard, but Frank knew whom she was talking about.

"Her name was Iola Morton. She was Joe's girlfriend at the time. We ended up saving…"

"Here you go!" Mr. Tyler returned with the copies, placed them on the table and sat down. "Did I miss anything?"

"Oh, your daughter was asking us about our line of work. So, you haven't heard from Scott at all? When was the last time you spoke with him?" Fenton asked.

"It's been at least a few months. Honestly. Over time we sort of moved on with our own lives. When he moved to North Carolina, we just lost touch. He had never told me they were moving. I called the house and Morgan told me. If it hadn't been the day before, I would have gone down but my work schedule was impossible to change. Unfortunately, I knew nothing about what was happening or else I would have been there in a split second to help them. After what you've told me, I wish things had been different." He looked over at his daughter. "Sam, can you excuse us for a moment? We have something private to discuss."

She nodded and stood up. "I'll be in the living room watching TV." She left them alone and they were able to talk about the case again.

"I know this is a little forward, but do you think that Morgan may have done something, or even Brooke may have done something to upset Scott?" Mr. Tyler asked.

The question surprised Fenton. "Well, it is a possibility. Why, do you know of any problems between them that we aren't aware of?"

Tyler shook his head. "No. I was just pointing out that maybe something angered Scott in order for him to do this. I remember just before the accident he had at work he told me something about Morgan having a male friend who he seemed pretty jealous of. I'm not trying to make them sound bad and I don't know if anything happened, but he had told me once that he thought she might be cheating on him."

Frank looked at his father questioningly. He didn't believe that Mrs. Tyler would have cheated.

"After all these years of knowing Morgan, I don't think she'd do that, but I'll be sure to ask her if something went wrong that could have caused all of this," Fenton said neutrally.

"The only reason I brought that up is because Scott complained about it a lot and he also told me they fought about it. I just can't see Scott hurting Brooke for no reason. Maybe he is sick. I don't know." Mr. Tyler scratched his forehead. "This is a lot to take in. Was there anything else you needed from me or any questions you have?"

"I have one if you don't mind. What ever happened with your father? Did he go to jail for what he did?" Frank asked.

Tyler looked down and frowned. "Actually he's dead. He ran his car off the road and was killed instantly. He had several officers after him at the time and he just lost it and went off the road."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize…" Frank immediately regretted asking the question.

"It's all right. Our mother had one hell of a time accepting what happened. With what happened to Scott and then to our Dad. It was horrible. I just hope it's not what's happening to my brother now. He went through hell."

"Well, I don't want to keep you any longer. Thanks for the copies and your information." Fenton shook hands with Mr. Tyler, and Frank did as well.

"No problem. If you need anything, give me a call. You can tell Morgan the same thing. I'm around if she needs anything. I hope he gets some help," Rick said as Samantha came running into the room.

"You're leaving?" she asked, sadly.

"Yes, I'm afraid we are," Fenton informed her.

Her eyes went wide. "May I ask one favor?" she grinned and Fenton nodded. "One second!"

Samantha took off, running upstairs, leaving the men confused.

"She's a handful, that one. I wouldn't be surprised if she…"

_thump thump_

Samantha came running back down the stairs with a newspaper in her hands. "Can I have your autographs?" She showed them a photo of Fenton with his sons on the front page. "Please?"

Frank turned his head and playfully rolled his eyes at his father, who smiled. "Sure you can."

A couple minutes later they were both walking to their car. "Well, that was interesting," Frank commented.

"What part? What we found out or our fan?" Fenton asked, and they both laughed.

"Everything. I can't believe he was abused as a child. I really think that accident must have triggered something in his memory and he is acting upon it," Frank declared.

"I agree. We'll stop at Vanessa's house and talk to the others before we head home."

They both got in the car, unaware of the person watching them from a distance.

Scott Tyler sat in his pickup truck, watching Fenton and Frank get in their car. He had planned to stop at his brother's house, to ask to spend the night on his way to Bayport but now he had other plans.

Once Fenton was out of sight, Scott drove off and made his way to the nearest motel.

Twenty minutes later he pulled up to a motel and paid for the night. He went to his room, planning on leaving first thing in the morning. He had to track them down before he was found. _Hardy, you and your kid better stay out of the way! _He wanted his wife and daughter out of Bayport as soon as possible. He was going to make sure he found them tomorrow and bring them back home.


	11. Chapter 11

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 11

Meanwhile, Tony arrived at the Comfort Inn, hoping to find Brooke. When he went to the front desk, he got some unexpected news.

"Sir, the young lady and her mother checked out today. I'm sorry. They never said anything about a visitor," the clerk informed him.

"Oh." Tony was surprised to find them gone. "Okay, thanks anyway." He turned and left the motel. Walking to his car, he pulled out his cell phone. _Good thing I got her number. _He sat inside his car waiting for her to pick up.

"_Hello?" _ Oh, thank goodness. "Hi, it's Tony…" 

"_Oh my gosh_!" He heard her say something, but couldn't understand her. _"Tony, I am sorry! I should have called you earlier. We've been really busy!"_

Now he was getting confused. "Where are you? I came to the motel to find you and the clerk said you left. What's going on? I was beginning to think you both left again."

"_Um… we're at Vanessa's. We're staying here for the time being. I am so sorry I didn't call you. It completely slipped my mind. Can you come over here? I would like to see you."_

He could tell something was wrong by the tone of her voice. "Is everything okay?" He started up his car and got ready to go.

There was a long pause_. "Well, not exactly. Come on over and I'll tell you what's going on. Is that okay?"_

"Yeah, you bet. I'll be right over."

"_Thanks, see you soon."_

He drove to Vanessa's house – wondering.

"What am I gonna tell him?!" Brooke exclaimed as she started pacing in the kitchen. Vanessa was finishing up the dishes and watching her.

"I'm sure he'll understand. You like him, right?" Vanessa asked.

"Yes! I have no clue what to say. I don't want him to think—" 

"Brooke! Be honest! He's your friend. He'll understand what you're going through and want to help. Trust me!" Vanessa smiled at her. "I know you're worried he'll get scared off, but Tony won't. It'll take much more than that to scare him off."

"Scare who off?" Morgan walked in the kitchen and saw Brooke pacing. "Honey, stop that! What's wrong?"

"Tony's on his way over and I have to tell him everything. I forgot to call him to tell him we're staying here. I'm nervous!" She sighed and slumped against the counter.

"Honey, from what I saw in that boy's eyes earlier, you have no reason to be nervous. He was very happy to see you back here. Trust me, it won't be bad. I'm sure Vanessa here said the same thing." Morgan looked at Vanessa who nodded.

_knock knock_

Brooke's eyes widened.

"I got it!" They heard Joe yell from the other room. "Hey Tony! What's up man? I didn't know you were coming."

"I just got off the phone with Brooke. She said she wanted to talk to me." Tony and Joe walked into the kitchen.

"Hi guys, hello, Mrs. Tyler," Tony said, greeting everyone and his eyes settled on Brooke who was turning pink.

Vanessa gently nudged her. "It'll be fine" she whispered, trying to give Brooke some encouragement.

"So, what's going on?" Tony asked, looking around. "It seems like everyone knows something I don't"

"You could put it that way. Come with me. It's a long story," Brooke said. Her tone was serious and that made Tony worry.

Brooke left the kitchen and Tony looked at Joe questioningly. "She needs you right now." Joe said quietly, knowing the talk between the two would be hard for her.

Tony glanced at Mrs. Tyler who gave him a weak smile and nodded. He immediately followed Brooke who was waiting for him in front of the stairs.

"Sorry everyone is being so secretive. Let's go outside. I'd rather talk in private if that's okay?"

He followed her outside to the backyard and she sat on the steps. He sat down beside her.

"So what's going on?" he asked. He began to think it had something to do with him. "Is something wrong between you and me? Have I totally missed something?"

"Huh?! No!" She almost laughed. "I'm sorry if you got that impression. There's nothing wrong with you, in fact, you're the only good thing to come out of this, along with everyone else here in Bayport."

"Okay, now I am confused." Tony leaned forward, even more puzzled than before.

"Okay, let me start at the beginning. This has to do with when we moved to North Carolina. It's why we left and why we're back now. It's not easy to say, so just bear with me."

She took a deep breath and began to tell him everything. From her mom getting hurt, to her father abusing her, and how she could never tell anyone for fear of getting hurt, or her father hurting her mom.

"Basically, I've been holding it all inside all these years. It's been the hardest thing for me to do. Tony, when we left, I was scared to call or talk to anyone. He told me he'd hurt Mom if I said anything. I don't know what happened to him." She paused and wiped away a tear that trickled down her cheek. She pulled up her sleeve. "You see this?" she showed him her scar. "This is from him pushing me. I fell through a glass table and sliced my arm. My mom said I nearly bled to death."

When she said that, he stood up, and started pacing around the yard. She wondered what he was thinking. "Tony?"

"_Testa di merda!"_ he exclaimed in Italian and looked back at Brooke. "Sorry, I had a moment. I can't believe the—" He took a deep breath.

She stood up too. "Every bad word in the dictionary huh? Yeah, tell me about it."

"I can't believe all this time he's been hurting you like this! I'm sorry, but it was one thing when you left but to find out that he's abused you and nearly killed you!" He let out an angry sigh of frustration. "I wish I could have been there for you."

"Tony, it's okay—" 

"No it's not, Brooke! I'm gonna be very honest with you, even though I was pretty young, I liked you. A lot. When I found out you were gone, I was devastated. Actually, at first I was mad at you, but then it occurred to me that you would have said something if you could. You were the first girl I ever liked." He thought for a moment. "Actually, when you came back, I realized quickly how much I did miss you." He walked over to her and ran his hand through her hair, then leaned down and kissed herHe felt moisture on his fingers and pulled back. "Please don't cry. I'm here for you."

"I can't help it. You make me so happy." She wiped away the tears, then took his hand and they sat back down. "You have no idea what it's been like. To come back here after all this time. It's been the worst two years of my life, until now."

She smiled and continued with her story. "We finally managed to leave. We packed some of our things, mostly clothes and stuff, and came to the place we missed the most." Her emotions were starting to overwhelm her and he moved closer, wrapping an arm around her for comfort. "Tony, when we left, all I could do was keep to myself. I didn't make any new friends, nothing. I went to school and worked to save money. I'm so sorry I never got to say goodbye—" She cried even harder and buried her face in his shoulder.

He put his other arm around her, still trying to take in all of the information she had just shared with him. He gently kissed the top of her head, and caressed her back. "It'll be okay. You have nothing to be sorry for. I wish I had been a better friend and knew what was happening. I should have been able to tell." As he thought about her father abusing her, tears stung his eyes.

"I couldn't tell anyone. You had no way of knowing. It's my own fault." She turned her head and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. It's just been so long, and finally being able to say something about it. It's just—" she couldn't find the words.

"Shh, everything will be fine. With everyone helping you, I'm sure he'll be caught soon. We won't let him hurt you again."

"He found us once before. That's what scares me. I'm worried he'll find us before the cops locate him."

"Well, we're all here to protect you. We'll make sure someone's with you at all times. Then when he's behind bars, you won't have anything to worry about."

Brooke's head jerked up. "Behind bars?" As much as she knew he deserved it, she didn't want to see her father in jail.

"What? You don't want to see him in jail? Brooke, he could have killed you—"

"Yeah, but I'm sure there's something that can be done for him. Maybe we can get him some help. I want him to be the way he was before this all started happening."

Tony smiled. "You're amazing. You know that, right?" She blushed. "Why is that?" 

"Because you're the one who's been hurt the most, and yet, you still want to see him get help."

"He's my father. I honestly miss him. I just don't want him to hurt us any more. My mom was devastated when she found out. I don't want to see her heart break again. The man she married, going insane, and then finding out I've been keeping those secrets from her." She frowned. "It's like I was living some big lie."

"Well, you're here now. That's what matters. We're all here for you and we won't let anything bad happen. Do you want to go back inside or do you want to talk some more?" he asked, not wanting to rush her.

"Can we stay out here for a little bit? I like your company."

He smiled. "Sure."

"This is what I missed the most. I missed my friends and you…"

"We missed you too. I missed you." He kissed her forehead and she smiled.

"I can honestly say; these last two days have been the best of my life."

"Same here. Maybe once this is all over we can go out," he said softly.

She looked in his eyes. "I'd love to!" She leaned forward and kissed him. When she pulled back, he had a big smile on his face.

"Did I ever tell you that you have the cutest smile I've ever seen?" 

He shook his head. "I don't seem to recall that." He leaned forward and cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again.

"I'm so glad I told you everything."

"Me too. It answers a lot of questions."

"You know what's funny?" she asked.

"What?"

"I was actually really nervous about seeing you again," she admitted.

"Why? I would say it went rather well." He laughed as he remembered her pushing the napkin holder onto his head. "I mean, what could be better? Me being a klutz and you hitting me on the head…"

"No, not like that. Actually, that was pretty funny. I'm talking about me, and you, and how things just ended the last time I saw you. You were just seventeen and I would have been turning seventeen in December, but I—" _Wow, you'd think telling someone you've cared about them for a long time would be easy! _She sighed in frustration. "Never mind."

"No, finish what you were saying. Do you mean how you kissed me in front of everyone?" he asked and her cheeks turned a deep shade of red.

She nodded. "That was me trying to hint to you, that I liked you," she admitted.

"Well, honestly, I think everyone knew we liked each other. When Frank, Joe and I went to your house, I was – upset, I guess you can say. They tried cheering me up that day and I just went home. I felt like I'd lost one of my best friends, not to mention the first girl I ever liked. And still do."

She felt butterflies in her stomach. "I thought I'd never see you again. I guess I'm lucky." _I can't believe I said that! I'm babbling. Shut up Brooke!"_

"Well, once this is all over we'll have to catch up on those two years we missed."

_knock knock_

They turned and saw Joe peering through the sliding door. He opened it and stepped outside. "My dad and Frank will be here around nine. They're done talking to Brooke's uncle. They said they have some interesting news. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything is great." Tony smiled.

"Okay, we'll be in the living room. We're putting on a movie if you wanna watch it with us." Joe turned to leave.

"We're coming. Come on, let's go." Brooke stood up and the threesome made their way inside, patiently awaiting Fenton and Franks return.


	12. Chapter 12

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 12

Joe glanced up at the clock. It was now five past nine. "I hope they get here soon. I want to know what happened."

"You and everyone else," Brooke joked.

"Brooke, I'll be right back. I have to make a phone call," Tony said and excused himself from the room.

"How did things go, sweetie?" Morgan asked.

"It went better than I thought" Brooke answered, smiling.

_knock knock_

"There we go!" Joe jumped up and went to the door, letting his brother and father inside.

Frank stopped beside him, and Fenton walked over to the group.

"How'd things go?" Joe asked his brother quietly.

"Turns out that her father's father has a history of abuse. Let's go talk to the others." Frank walked into the living room and Joe followed.

Tony came back into the room. "Hi Mr. Hardy. Hi, Frank." He sat down next to Brooke. "I was supposed to work tomorrow but I changed shifts with someone."

"You didn't have to do that!" Brooke said.

"I know. But I wanted to. Just in case you need my help."

"Thanks."

"How'd things go Fenton?" Morgan asked, and everyone became silent.

"It turns out Rick hasn't talked to Scott in quite some time, so he didn't know what was going on until we spoke to him. He showed me these." Fenton handed her the articles on Scott's father and his hospitalization. "Their father, David Tyler, abused Scott when he was a child. This went on for a couple years, similar to what's been happening to Brooke. We don't know what caused that to start happening, but there may be a possibility it's linked with Scott." Fenton cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Now, I'm sure you remember your husband's accident a few years ago? He fell a couple stories and ended up in the hospital."

Morgan nodded. "Yes, he hurt his head; there had been some swelling but they gave him the okay to go home once the swelling decreased. They couldn't find any problems."

"What we found interesting is that shortly after the accident, he started hurting your daughter. Did it ever cross your mind that something was wrong with him? I know you weren't aware of him hurting Brooke, but did he act differently at all?" Fenton asked.

She shook her head. "Not really. He was jealous about me talking to other men, but that's a typical man thing. He seemed to get angry a lot easier. It's something I never thought about." Morgan looked at her daughter for help.

"I had suspicions something was wrong when he started acting different. Some people get angry." Brooke suddenly felt embarrassed as her cheeks became warm, tears stung her eyes and she stood up. "Excuse me." She walked into the other room. Tony looked at Mrs. Tyler, wondering if he should go after her.

Morgan sighed. "Fenton, this has been hard for her. Continue with what you were saying. Just let her have some time alone."

Frank went over to Tony and sat beside him. "Give her some time. She'll be okay," he tried comforting his friend.

"Well, until Scott is located, unfortunately there is nothing we can do. He hasn't been seen anywhere, so my main concern is keeping you two safe for now. I would like to see someone stay with you until he is found," Fenton suggested.

"Sure, as long as that's okay with Vanessa. It's her house," Morgan answered.

"Anyone's welcome to stay here. Joe can sleep on the couch. The only problem is, we have school tomorrow," Vanessa replied.

Fenton nodded. "I realize that. Frank has classes tomorrow too. I'd hate to see someone pulled from their studies, but—"

"Sir, I'll come back in the morning if you want?" Tony volunteered. "I only have one class tomorrow and I'm ahead on the reading, so I can do it."

"Are you sure that's not a problem?" Fenton asked.

"Of course. I'll do anything to help. I haven't missed a class yet. Don't worry."

"Thanks Tony," Mrs. Tyler answered. "That's nice of you."

"Once we get out of school, we'll come straight here," Joe spoke for himself and Vanessa. "Frank?"

"I have two classes in the morning. I'll be out between one and two. I have an exam, so it depends when I complete it," Frank replied.

"Okay, great. Morgan, may I speak with you privately?" Fenton asked and she stood up, following him into the dining room.

Once they left the room, Joe spoke up. "So, what else happened?" he asked Frank. "You found out he went to the hospital and his father abused him. What happened to his father? It's obvious the authorities found out."

"Not much else. His father was killed trying to run from the cops. They were never able to find out what caused him to abuse Mr. Tyler," Frank answered.

"I take it his brother also never found out what was happening to him, so it's almost like what's happening to Brooke now? It went on for a while until it got so bad someone found out?" Joe asked.

"Rick, his brother, was hiding and witnessed Scott get hurt. That's how their mother and the police found out."

"I can't believe he has been hurting her all this time," Tony said sadly, "I mean, for no one to notice her in pain—"

"I'm a good actress," came the ironic reply from the hallway. Brooke was standing there. "I didn't have anyone to tell after we moved. I only had school and work. I was an idiot; I realize that now...I should have said something. Part of me just wants to walk out there and let him find me, and set some kind of trap. That would be quicker than him just looking for us and having everyone go out of their way for us. I don't want to inconvenience anyone…"

Tony stood up and went over to her. "You're not inconveniencing anyone. We want to help you."

_Trap? _Joe thought and looked at Frank who was also deep in thought. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Joe asked quietly.

Frank nodded, also speaking low. "A trap? Maybe we should try and lure him out? That way the cops can get him." He raised his voice. "Brooke, you're a genius!"

Unaware of what he just said, she gave him a funny look. "Genius? Are you talking to the right person?"

"Brooke, do you think your father would fall for you luring him into finding you? I mean, if he's here in town looking for you, maybe we should try and get him to come after you and try to—"

"Kidnap me? Use me as bait?" she asked.

Tony shook his head. "That's too dangerous, guys…"

"Sure, why not?"

"What?" Tony turned to her. "You can't do that. What if he manages to actually kidnap you or hurt you again?!"

She shrugged. "Maybe it's a risk that I need to take. This needs to end. This is all my fault anyway."

"We can talk to Dad about it. He might like the idea," Frank said just as Fenton and Morgan returned. "Hey Dad, we have a question." Frank explained about them trying to lure Scott into coming for Brooke and how they could use her to have him arrested.

When he finished, Morgan was shaking her head. "Guys, that may be a good idea, but Brooke's been through enough. I don't want to see her get hurt again."

"Well, if we can't find him in the next day or two, we'll discuss that idea more, but for now, let's try and play it safe," Fenton decreed, and everyone seemed to agree – except Brooke and his sons who remained silent. "I'm going to head home. I've got some more work to do."

"I'll come with you." Frank stood up and said goodbye to everyone. Within a couple of minutes they were gone.

"So, I guess I'll head home too. I can be back right after my class tomorrow," Tony said.

"That sounds good. I'll walk you out." Brooke went with Tony to the door after he said goodbye to his friends and Morgan. She returned a few minutes later. "I'm gonna call it an early night. I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Good night," Joe and Vanessa said in unison. Vanessa let out a small laugh. "If you need anything in the morning, let me know. There are towels in the bathroom closet. Everything's pretty easy to find."

"Thank you. Good night, Mom."

"Good night, honey."

Within half an hour, Vanessa and Morgan both went upstairs, leaving Joe to get comfortable on the sofa, and shortly after, he was asleep.

"Hey Mom, can Tony and I go out for a little bit? He's on his way here," Brooke asked, coming down the stairs.

"Sure. Just be careful! How long do you think you'll be?" Morgan sat on the recliner reading a book.

"Maybe just an hour or so. Just to get out of the house."

"All right. If you're going to be much longer, let me know. I want to make sure you're okay."

"Thanks, Mom!" Brooke gave her mother a quick kiss and went to the door. "I'll be sitting on the front steps. Are you gonna go anywhere or do anything?"

"I'll probably finish reading my book. Actually, I may run to the grocery store. I told Vanessa this morning before she left that I would pick up a few things for her since we're staying here. She told me there was no need to, but I feel bad not pitching in to replace what we use. So, if I'm not here when you get back, don't worry."

"Well, you be careful too. See you later!" Brooke said cheerfully and went to open the door.

"Wait, Brooke!" Morgan called to her daughter as she started out the door.

"Yes, Mom?"

"You look very pretty today. " She commented on her daughter's long jean skirt and light pink long-sleeved top. "You even did your hair. I wish I had my camera. I'd take a picture."

Brooke went back over to Morgan and gave her a hug. "Thank you. I'm so glad we're back."

"Me too. I love you, Have fun!"

"I love you too, Mom!" Brooke went to the door and gave her mother a final wave before going outside.

Ten minutes later Morgan heard a car horn and she smiled. _Those two are cute together. _She stood up and put her book down. She glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost noon. _I'll head to the store now, that way I'll be back when everyone gets here. _She grabbed her purse and car keys and departed.

Scott Tyler had checked out of his motel and was now driving around Bayport. He was on his way to the Hardy residence to see if his family was there, but noticed a familiar blue Honda take a turn down a road just ahead. He smiled to himself and followed the car, staying as far back as he could without losing sight of it.

Morgan parked and went inside to do her shopping. Within a half hour she had everything she needed and was carrying the bags to her car, unaware she was being watched. She opened the back door and placed the bags inside.

"Hi Honey," a deep voice said, startling her.

Her breath caught in her throat. _Oh no! _Her cell phone was in her purse and no one knew where she was. She turned around and saw Scott standing behind her. "Scott. What are you doing here?"

"Let's not play games, Morgan. Where's Brooke? Why did you two leave again?" he asked her calmly.

Deep down, his calmness scared her. She knew it was only a matter of time before he got angry. She was not going to tell him anything. "I don't know. She went out."

"With what car? You have it. Don't play dumb with me. You know better."

"Scott, just leave us both alone. Go back home and let us just stay here. She doesn't want to go back with you," Morgan stated and reached for her door handle, but he quickly pushed her hand away. "Don't be an idiot. We're out in public!" she warned.

"I want you and Brooke to come home. You know I'm sorry for what happened. Come home. Let's be a family again." He tried reaching for her but she moved away.

"No! I don't want to be a family again. Not with you! You hurt her for the last time, Scott! You've been lucky not to go to jail! You almost killed our daughter! Just leave us alone!" Morgan almost yelled, causing people walking by to look at them curiously.

Scott gave them a smile, pretending everything was fine. "Morgan. Stop being dramatic. It was an accident!"

"Three years of hurting her. That's an accident? You sick bastard!" She swung her hand, backhanding him across the face.

Scott was left stunned for a brief moment, and she managed to give him a shove backwards, sending him a few feet away. She grabbed her door handle one more time and opened the door. She spotted a cup of coffee, from the day before, sitting there in the cup holder, and grabbed it.

He seized her by the shoulder and turned her around. She flung the drink into his eyes, then quickly got in her car, locked the doors and started the engine.

Scott, barely being able to see, reached for the door handle, but had no luck. Morgan pulled from her parking spot and he ran to his truck. Climbing in, he started the engine and followed after her.

Morgan thought she had managed to get ahead of Scott and pulled out her cell phone. She turned onto a back road to head to Vanessa's. Her fingers were shaking so badly she couldn't dial the police. _Calm down! _she told herself and then she looked in the mirrors and saw Scott's truck coming up behind her. She cursed and sped up. She dialed 911 and put her phone on speaker, waiting for someone to pick up.

Scott decided to take a chance and pulled up beside her while there were no cars in the other lane, and yelled out his window. "Pull over!" he demanded.

She ignored him. "Come on…" she said to the phone, terrified.

"_911, what is your emergency?" _she heard someone ask

"I'm on Beaver Road, I'm being—" She let out a yell when she saw a car coming straight for Scott's truck.

Scott went into Morgan's lane, sideswiping her car, as the other driver also slammed on his brakes. Scott kept going, getting back into his own lane.

Morgan had hoped he would slow down or back off, but instead, he hit her car, and she lost control. She steered off the side of the road, onto the sidewalk, hitting a sign and then as she slowed down, her car impacted with a tree.

Scott sped off, leaving Morgan there. The driver of the other car, a young man, jumped out and ran to see if she was okay. He called the police on his cell phone as he approached Morgan's car. "Hi, there's been an accident on Beaver Road. Someone ran a lady and me off the street."

"_Is anyone hurt sir?"_

"I'm fine," he peered in the window at Morgan. "Oh God! She's unconscious. There's blood on her face. The front of her car's totaled. I can't tell what else is wrong! She's hunched over the steering wheel."

"_An ambulance and the police are on their way."_


	13. Chapter 13

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 13

It was close to two in the afternoon when Tony and Brooke pulled into Vanessa's driveway. Brooke saw her mom's car was gone. "I wish she would have waited to go out! I don't like the idea of her being alone."

They both got out of his car. "Did she say where she was going?" Tony asked.

"She mentioned getting some groceries. I'm sure she won't be long."

"Well, Vanessa and Joe get out soon, so I'm sure the rest of the gang will be here soon."

They walked to the front door and behind them they heard someone pull into the driveway. It was Frank and Callie in the Hardys' van.

"Hey guys!" Tony said and noticed Frank's grim expression as he got out of the van. "What's wrong?"

"We need to get to the hospital." Frank looked at Brooke, and from the look on her face, she had no idea what's going on. "Brooke, is your cell phone on?"

Brooke pulled out her phone and saw there were several missed calls and two voicemails she'd missed. "It's on silent. I didn't realize that. What's going on?"

"You'll want to get in the van. We should get going. I'll explain on the way there," Frank said and Tony and Brooke quickly climbed into the backseat.

Brooke entered her password and listened to her voicemails. The first was from the Bayport Police asking for a return call and the second was from Frank.

"Was my dad found? The police left me a message," she announced.

"I wish I could say yes to that. No, it's your mom. She had a car accident. The police tried to contact you. Your mom woke up, and was able to give them your number. When they couldn't reach you, they called my father. He let me know and Joe, so they're meeting us there."

"A car accident!? Is she okay?" Brooke glanced at Tony fearfully. "I can't believe it. I go out and this happens…"

"It's not your fault. You didn't know!" Tony reassured her.

"My father told me that someone was trying to pass her and a car came around a corner in the other lane, causing her car to go off the road" Frank explained and Brooke leaned back in her seat, ashamed; even though she knew she couldn't have done anything, she still felt guilty. Tony reached over and tried to comfort her, but she seemed to be lost in thought.

"She was unconscious when the paramedics arrived. I don't know anything other than that."

Brooke had gone silent on the group and Frank looked in the rearview mirror at her. "Brooke?"

She wiped away a stray tear that had trickled down her cheek. "Yeah?"

"Just making sure you're okay. The accident happened a little over an hour ago, closer to noon, so if something bad were to have happened since, I'm sure we'd have heard about it by now," Frank informed her.

A noise interrupted them; it was Callie's cell phone ringing. She picked it up and saw it was Vanessa calling. "It's Vanessa," she announced and answered. "Hi Van, where are you?"

'_We're almost at the hospital. We'll meet you in the parking lot before we head in."_

"Okay, we should be there in a couple minutes. See you then." And then to the others, Callie added: "They're almost there. They'll meet us in the parking lot."

The group arrived at the hospital and found Vanessa and Joe waiting by her car. Everyone quickly went inside, unaware that they were being watched.

Scott had parked his truck behind a building near the hospital and walked over, expecting his daughter to eventually arrive. He saw a van pull up and park near a young man and girl, who were waiting in the parking lot. He saw Brooke emerge from the backseat with Tony and the group walked into the hospital together.

He smiled and walked back to his truck, deciding to stick around for a while. He was pleased to know whom to look for when he searched for his daughter again. He knew he'd have to find her when she wasn't with all her friends.

He pulled his truck into a different spot, to keep an eye on the hospital parking lot, in hopes of following his daughter to where she was staying.

Brooke approached the nurse behind the desk. "Hi, I'm Morgan Tyler's daughter. She was in a car accident."

"Let me see…ah yes, she's being looked at by a doctor. She was brought in nearly an hour ago. I'll let them know you're here if you and your friends want to have a seat?"

"Thank you." The group went and sat in the waiting room.

After fifteen minutes Brooke started getting impatient and stood up, walking over to the window and looking outside.

Joe glanced at Tony and pointed at Brooke, hinting for him to go over to her. Tony went over to her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "I'm just worried. I'm sure she'll be okay, but I want to know who did this. It may have been a freak accident, but I think the timing is bad. I think it had to do with my father," she announced and looked at the Hardys. "Is that what you and your father think?"

"My dad told me that there were areas of black paint on her car which is the same color as your dad's truck. Yes, we do have reason to believe he followed her and it may not have been on purpose, but he pushed her off the road," Frank conceded.

"Our father is talking to the police about your father and how he thinks it's linked to him. Some people are saying that it could have been someone else because there are plenty of black cars and trucks out there. I also think it was him – or she had very bad luck, which doesn't seem right to me," Joe put in.

Frank's cell phone went off and he excused himself from the waiting room. Ten minutes later he returned.

"What's up?" Joe asked.

"That was Dad. There were two witnesses who spotted Morgan and a man arguing at the grocery store. When they described him, it sounded like Mr. Tyler's description. He wanted to warn us to keep an eye out for him," Frank reported.

Brooke saw a doctor walk out, and hoped it was for her mom.

"Anyone here for a Morgan Tyler?" the physician asked.

Brooke quickly walked forward. "Yes, we are. I'm her daughter."

"I'm Doctor Jenson and I've been treating you mother. She's doing very well. She has some swelling on her wrist; it's sprained. She had a cut on her forehead, but she seems to be doing fine. There is nothing to be worried about. Did you have any questions?"

"So she can go home?" Brooke asked hopefully.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, in a little bit. We're just finishing up a few things. We're giving her a Velcro splint for her wrist. I suggest she just take it easy tonight."

Brooke sighed with relief. "Can I see her?"

"Of course. You can follow me."

"Thank you, doctor." Tony said and rubbed Brooke's back. "Want me to go with you, or do you want to go alone?"

"I want to go alone. I'll be out in a little bit," she said, and Tony placed a kiss on her forehead.

The doctor turned and made his way towards Morgan's room and Brooke followed him.

"Here you go. If you need anything, press the call button. I have to check on a patient. She should be fine," he reassured her before leaving.

"Thanks." Brooke walked inside and saw her mom was sleeping peacefully. "Thank God…" she pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down.

Back in the waiting room, the Hardys, Vanessa, Tony, and Callie had huddled together to make a plan.

"Our dad does not want Brooke going anywhere alone," Frank informed them. "So, if we leave here, I want someone to be with her at all times, preferably more than one person." He looked at Tony. "I know you took tonight off, so that's good. I want to run home and check in with Dad about what he's found out."

"What do you want Callie and me to do?" Vanessa asked.

"Well, I'll have Callie come with us. You can stay with Brooke and Tony if that's okay? Then we'll meet up as a group later. I have a feeling if we're in public, he'll be spotted. He found her mother, I'm sure he'll find her. Then we can call the cops before he does anything."

"That sounds good. We'll see if Brooke likes the idea," Joe said and the group settled down, waiting for their friend.

Half an hour later, the Hardys and their friends went their separate ways. Vanessa pulled her car up to the exit of the hospital and the Hardys and Callie got their van.

From a distance, Scott kept an eye on his daughter and watched as the van drove off first, followed shortly after by the car. Scott started up his truck and stayed in the distance, following them.

When Vanessa pulled onto her road, Scott slowed down but didn't turn. He made sure he saw where Vanessa pulled her car up and drove away.

He wasn't quite sure how he'd get to his daughter with all the people around and decided to wait to make his move. He knew he had to make it soon, before he was caught.

"Mom, the doctor wants you to rest tonight. Do you want to lie down?" Brooke asked her mother as they walked inside.

"Yeah, I do," Morgan said sadly. She was still shocked about everything that happened.

"Mom, are you sure you're okay? He did this, didn't he?" Brooke asked and her mother nodded.

"He came after me because I wouldn't go with him. If you go out with your friends tonight, please be careful, sweetie," Morgan said and Brooke gave her mother a hug.

"I love you. I'm so glad you're okay."

"I love you too. I'll be upstairs. I'm probably going to sleep for a little bit. Have a good night with Tony and the others." Morgan placed a kiss on Brooke's forehead.

"Thanks, Mom. If you need anything, let us know. I think we may get something for dinner in a little bit."

"I'll be fine." Morgan made her way upstairs and Brooke joined Tony and Vanessa in the living room.

"We're just waiting for Frank to call us to see what's going down tonight" Tony told her as she sat down beside him.

"Sounds good. I'll be glad when this is over," Brooke said, just as Tony's cell phone rang.

Tony answered his phone and Brooke and Vanessa patiently waited to find out what the plan would be.


	14. Chapter 14

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 14

"You really think we should do that?" Tony asked as he paced around the living room. He was on the phone with Frank as both Vanessa and Brooke listened.

'Yeah. I think it's worth a shot. Who knows where he is. At least we can get dinner and keep an eye out for him. He won't suspect we're on the watch."

"All right, so we're meeting in a half hour at the mall? In the food court?" Tony asked.

'Yes. We'll see you then. I just have to drop Callie off. Her mom's insisting she come home.'

"Okay, I'll let them know. See you in a bit." Tony hung up his phone. "Well, that was interesting. Frank and Joe want to go to the mall and try and lure your father out in public. They think that if we're out in a public place, then he'll be more than likely to think we're not suspecting anything and the moment you're alone, that he'll try and get you," Tony informed them.

"You guys really think he'll try and kidnap me or something?" Brooke asked.

"Well, from what he explained, there was a witness who said a man tried to stop your mother from getting into her car. So, yes, they believe it, and so do I." Tony sat down next to her. "As much as I don't like the idea, I think it's for the best. We can't keep worrying that you'll be kidnapped or something will happen to you."

"If you think it'll work and it's for the best, then so do I," Brooke said and looked at Vanessa. "Are you coming?"

"Of course! I want to help. I'll drive and you two can sit in the back. How's that sound?" she offered.

"That'd be great. Thanks so much."

"No problem, just let me use the bathroom and we'll leave." Vanessa departed the room.

Brooke leaned on Tony's shoulder. "I'm really nervous."

"This may not even work. We'll come back to check on your mom after we get something to eat. Hopefully she'll be awake by then."

"Thank you for everything. I think I'd be going insane right about now if you weren't here," she admitted.

"That's why I'm here." He gave her a kiss.

Vanessa walked back in the room and smiled at the pair. "You want to leave now?" she asked.

"Sure, let's go," Tony said and they stood up and walked out to her car.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the mall and went into the food court. The trio pulled two tables together for when the Hardys arrived.

"Let us know if you spot him," Vanessa said, noticing Brooke nervously glancing around the mall.

"Why do I have a feeling this is a bad idea?" Brooke asked.

"Well, it should be a quiet night. There aren't too many people, so if he was dumb enough to fall for this, then there's a better chance we'd spot him," Vanessa said. "Since we have about ten minutes, do either of you want a drink? I'm thirsty."

"I'm all set," Brooke answered. "I don't think my stomach can handle anything right now."

"I'll take a Gatorade please. Any flavor is fine," Tony requested, and Vanessa got up and went to the Chinese food vendor and ordered the two drinks. "You can share mine if you get thirsty."

Brooke smiled. "Thank you."

Vanessa returned with the drinks and sat back down.

"Do you ladies mind if I use the bathroom? I'll be quick," Tony asked.

"Go ahead. The guys will be here any minute," Vanessa replied.

Tony stood up and gave Brooke a kiss. "Be right back."

"Okay."

When Tony left, Vanessa smiled. "You two are adorable!"

Brooke laughed. "I like him a lot. He's sweet."

"He's a wonderful guy. You two make a cute couple."

"You and Joe are great together too. Everyone seems to be doing so wonderfully. Frank has Callie, you have Joe and hopefully things work out for Tony and me." Brooke looked up and saw Tony returning.

Vanessa was about to reply when she saw Tony gazing across the room. He picked up his pace and stopped behind Brooke and bent down. "We need to go! Your father is already here! He must have followed us! This is happening too fast!"

"Oh my God! Where is he?" Brooke tried to act normal.

"He's near the fountain at a table. He's behind the display over there. You can't see him from here. He's trying to hide, but I recognized him."

"What should we do?!"

Vanessa stood up and grabbed her purse. "Follow my lead," she said and started walking, then paused waiting for her friends. "Let's go!"

Brooke stood up, grabbing Tony's drink, pretending like nothing was wrong, and followed Vanessa.

"Hey guys! Wait up!"

They all turned and saw Frank and Joe walking in their direction. Neither of the Hardys noticed Scott sitting at a table because his back was turned.

"You two wait here. I've gotta tell them without making a scene," Tony said and the girls nodded. "Keep walking towards the exit." He started to walk towards the Hardys.

"Wait!" Brooke ran over to him and gave him a kiss. "Be careful."

"I will. Call the police." Tony moved casually towards Frank and Joe. He noticed Scott stand up from his table, but the man kept his back to them. Thinking no one had noticed, Scott started walking in the direction of Vanessa and Brooke.

"Frank! Joe!" Tony pointed to Scott, knowing that something had to be done before he got to his friends.

Scott, hearing Tony's cry, gave up trying to be discreet and darted through the tables, heading for Brooke. Frank and Joe started after him, but Tony was the closest. He lunged at Scott, tackling him to the floor.

Scott scrambled to get up. He pulled his fist back and swung, striking Tony in the face.

"Tony!" Brooke yelled and Vanessa held her back.

"You can't! He wants you!"

"No…" Brooke watched in horror as her father pulled something from his pocket. It was a gun!

Screams arose from shoppers in the food court when they saw Scott pull the gun, and people suddenly began scrambling to get away from the area.

Scott aimed the gun at Tony.

"No! Dad, don't!" Brooke yelled and her father looked from Tony to her.

Tony looked over at Brooke and Vanessa, blood streaming from his nose. "Get out of here!" he rasped.

Scott rose to his feet and backed away from Tony, swinging the gun to point it at Frank and Joe, who were slowly closing in from the side.

"Come on Brooke!" Vanessa pulled her friend towards the exit while she quickly took out her cell phone and called the police.

Glancing back, the girls saw Tony kick out and hit Scott in the legs, knocking him off balance. Tony managed to scramble away and Joe went for Scott, who was trying to steady himself.

Frank grabbed for Joe, trying to stop him, but he was out of reach.

Scott saw Joe coming towards him, pointed his gun and fired!

This time it was Vanessa who screamed. "No! Joe!" She saw her boyfriend fall to the floor, clutching his shoulder as blood poured through his fingers!


	15. Chapter 15

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 15

"Run!" 

That was all the girls needed to hear and Vanessa grabbed Brooke by the arm, pulling her towards the exit. "Come on!"

Both girls ran to Vanessa's car and got inside. She started the engine and drove off.

Brooke looked behind her to see if her father was following them. "I don't see him."

"Thank God!" Now Vanessa was able to relax. "I hope they're okay."

"I'm sure they'll be okay. My dad wouldn't be stupid enough to kill anyone. At least I hope not. I shouldn't have gotten anyone else involved!" Brooke was furious. "This is all my fault."

"Brooke, calm down. It'll be fine. They have dealt with more difficult cases and people than this," Vanessa assured her. "Let's get to my house and once we hear from them we'll leave. I'm sure Joe needs to go to the hospital, but I can see your father going there to see if we show up."

"Thank goodness he doesn't know where we're going. I don't want him finding us, especially when my mom is hurt."

"If he showed up at my house, I'd be scared," Vanessa admitted. "It's just the three of us. Come on, guys…call…" she said, waiting to hear from the Hardys.

Vanessa was almost home when she heard her phone ring. "Can you answer it?" She handed Brooke her phone.

"Hello?" Brooke greeted.

'Hey, it's Frank. We're on our way to your house to get you, and then I'm taking Joe to the hospital. We don't want to leave you all alone. We have no idea where your father went.'

"Is Tony okay?" Brooke asked.

'He'll be fine. Just a bloody nose. He'll get checked out too. We'll see you in a little bit."

"Thanks, Frank!" Brooke said goodbye and hung the phone up. "They're coming to get us and then we're heading to the hospital," she told Vanessa.

"Good," Vanessa replied and pulled into her driveway.

"My mother is gonna flip when she finds out what happened." Brooke got out of the car and the girls went inside the Benders' farmhouse.

They found Morgan leaving the kitchen, with a glass of water in hand. She placed it on the small table in the hallway. "Hey, that was fast. I thought you were—"

"Dad found us," Brooke said bluntly.

"What?!" Morgan exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Tony saw him and he came after us. He punched Tony and—" Brooked looked at Vanessa for help.

"The guys stayed back so we could get away," Vanessa added.

"Are they okay? Did you call the police?" Morgan asked.

"Yes we called the police. Joe—" Vanessa stopped when someone pulled in the driveway. "That was fast." She peered out the window and saw a pickup truck in the driveway. "Oh no!

"What?" Brooke looked outside and saw her father's truck outside. "No! Mom, get upstairs! Go! It's Dad!"

Morgan grabbed the house phone off the cradle and started dialing. "We need to hide. Or get out of here!"

"Mom! Come with me! Vanessa, hide!" Brooke grabbed her mother's hand and pulled her to the stairs. "The guys will be here any minute. We just need to hold him off!"

"Okay!" Vanessa went to hide as Morgan scurried upstairs and Brooke went towards the kitchen.

Vanessa opened the coat closet and slipped inside, closing the door. She heard the front door open and sat there, terrified.

Morgan closed her bedroom door, locking it and again tried dialing the police.

_I can't believe I came up here alone! Someone answer! _

Seconds later the emergency operator answered, and she told the woman the situation.

'_Ma'am, I want you to stay on the phone with me until the police arrive. Can you do that?'_

"Yes," Morgan replied.

Time went by slowly – and then Morgan heard a scream. She dropped the phone, unlocked the door and ran down the stairs.

Scott walked inside the house, and saw no sign of the girls. He started walking through the living room and made his way back around to the front of the house. He listened for any hint of where they could be and got his answer when he heard something fall inside a closet in the hallway. He walked over and grabbed the doorknob.

Vanessa moved back in the closet, hoping to cover herself with the jackets and clothes that filled it, just in case Scott Tyler opened the door. Just as she managed to conceal herself, she placed too much pressure on a jacket and it slipped off the hanger and fell to the floor. She swore silently as she heard footsteps coming towards the closet.

The door swung open and Scott was standing above her, glaring down. He reached down and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. "Where's my daughter?" he asked and pushed her against the wall.

"I don't know!" she lied, and her lips trembled in fear as she remembered he had shot Joe. She could only imagine what he'd do to her.

"Liar! Tell me where she is!" He loosened his grip for a moment, then tightened his hand around her neck and pushed. The back of her head bounced off the wall. "Are you gonna tell me?" He pulled the gun from his pocket and started to raise it.

"No!" Brooke came around the corner and tried to tackle her father, to pull him away from Vanessa, but he was too big for her. When she ran into him, it seemed like a small push rather than a tackle. "LEAVE MY FRIEND ALONE!" she yelled, each time punching her father as hard as she could.

Scott released his hold on Vanessa, who slumped to the closet floor, grabbing her neck. She watched in horror as he seized Brooke and shoved her away.

Brooke lost her balance and fell face-down on the floor, striking her head on the hall table as she fell.

Vanessa heard the loud crack as Brooke's head impacted the table. "NO!" She scrambled out of the closet and tried to go to Brooke's side but Scott pushed her away.

He aimed the gun at her. "Don't move!"

Vanessa saw blood trickling down Brooke's forehead and her eyes were closed. "She needs to go to the hospital!" Vanessa yelled at him.

"Shut up if you know what's good for you!" Scott yelled and turned to see Morgan running down the stairs.

Morgan saw her daughter lying on the floor. "You bastard!" She ran at him and tried to drag him away from Brooke. "Leave her alone! You've done enough!"

Scott raised his hand, and backhanded Morgan across the face. "I'm taking her with me!" he yelled and pointed the gun at Morgan.

"You wouldn't dare!" Morgan looked at the man she used to love. "How could you turn out this way? Doesn't she mean anything to you? You're gonna get her killed!"

Scott hit her once more, sending her to the floor. Her head pounded in pain. "Don't move!" he warned both Morgan and Vanessa. He bent down and picked Brooke up in his arms knowing he couldn't take them both. He strode to his truck, placed Brooke in the passenger seat and closed the door.

He got in the driver's side, started the engine and left.


	16. Chapter 16

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 16

Morgan broke down as she and Vanessa ran to the door when they heard tires screech down the street.

"What are we going to do!? Where would he take her?" Morgan screamed frantically.

"Mrs. Tyler, calm down. It'll be okay. We'll get her back!" Vanessa said, as the Hardys' van came racing down the street.

As Frank pulled into the driveway, both Joe and Tony jumped out before he came to a stop.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked as he dashed up to the girls, noticing their distraught expressions.

"Joe!" Vanessa ran over to him, seeing dried blood on his arm.

"I'll be fine! It's just a graze."

"She was kidnapped! Brooke was kidnapped!" Morgan cried, and everyone became silent.

"What? How?" Tony asked as Frank came up beside him.

"Just now! He came here and—" Morgan looked at Vanessa for help.

"He found me hiding and threatened me with a gun. Brooke came out and tried to help—"

"Tried? Is she okay?" Frank asked.

"I don't know. She hit her head and wasn't conscious when he took her—"

That was all Frank and Tony needed to hear. Both boys raced back to the van and Joe followed.

"Joe, stay here with the girls! You need medical attention!" Frank instructed him.

"But—" 

"No buts! Stay here! This could be dangerous and they need someone with them in case he comes back," Frank ordered.

"Fine!" Joe rejoined the women, as sirens sounded in the distance.

Frank and Tony pulled out, heading towards the highway.

"She'll be fine," Frank said reassuringly.

"I hope so. How do we even know he's going to the highway, Frank?"

"He can't stay in Bayport. He's a wanted man. He'll want to get as far away as he can."

"Yeah, he's wanted all right. I want to kick his ass, personally," Tony spat out.

Scott drove as fast as he could without drawing any unwanted attention. He glanced over at Brooke, who was leaning against the window, still unconscious.

'_You could have killed her. Why'd you do that?!'_

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

'_I had no choice. I had to take her with me and she wouldn't have just walked out that door.'_

He looked at her again.

'_Look at her! She's bleeding! She needs to go to the hospital!'_

Scott slammed his fist against the steering wheel in frustration and the horn blared

'_No, I can't do that! Then they'll catch me. I must keep going!'_

'_Her death will be on your shoulders. What kind of father are you?'_

'_Father!'_

Her peered back over at his daughter and suddenly felt ashamed, guilty and angry.

'_What should I do?'_ he thought.

'_Keep going…don't stop.'_

Brooke's head pounded in pain. Her eyelids slowly opened and she looked around. _'I'm in a…truck?' _she thought, confused and slowly turned her head to see her father driving. _'Oh no! What happened!? I have to get out of here!'_

"Good, you're awake," a gruff voice said.

"No thanks to you," she replied coldly. She tried to sit up, but her head pounded and she let out a small cry. "Dad, I need to go to—" she never got the chance to finish.

"You can't! We have to leave. We are not staying here!"

She grabbed her seatbelt and fastened it. _'Jerk! You can't even put it on for me.' _ "Dad, my head hurts." She brought a hand to her forehead and winced. Being scared and in pain brought tears to her eyes. "Please. They don't have to know what happened. I just…" she leaned back, dizzy. She tried blinking and her vision blurred. She felt sick. _'Nerves. It's gotta be nerves. Oh God, what am I gonna do?!' _She saw a sign that led to the highway and got scared. _'I've go to do something.'_

"No, we can't. They'll be looking for you. Just stay still and DON'T MOVE!" he commanded.

A few minutes went by and she wasn't feeling any better. She looked in her side mirror, hoping someone would find them. She looked around for anything that could be used against him. In between them was a small lunch cooler, CD's, the stick shift, and on the floor was some trash. She looked at the speedometer and saw he was only going fifty-five miles per hour. _'Hmm, maybe if he slows down enough I can get him to go off the road?' _she thought and frowned. _'I must be insane! But, what else can I do? It's worth a shot.' _

Brooke gave herself a couple minutes to make sure there weren't many cars on the road around them. She got her lucky break when the only vehicle was in the distance far behind them and he had slowed down near fifty miles per hour. _'God, please let this work.'_

_She moved as fast as she could, reaching past the stick shift and his mess in between them, for the steering wheel, grabbing it, fighting for control. He pushed her away with his elbow, and she swung out, punching him on the side of the face. She grabbed the wheel once more, turning it as fast as she could, veering off the road, and skidded. He slammed on the brakes._

_She felt a hard push on her chest, just before her forehead hit the dashboard. She fought to stay conscious as pain seared through her. The truck had turned too fast, causing it to overturn onto its side._

_Scott's airbag deployed, but she wasn't as lucky. Hers never went off._

_Brooke fell sideways, hitting her head on the window and lay there, clutching her chest. She was in too much pain to pass out, as blood trickled down her face once more._

"Where are they?!" Tony grumbled, impatiently.

"We can't be far behind," Frank said as he sped down the highway.

"There!" Tony pointed to a truck. "Is that them?"

Frank sped up even more. "It must be. Thank God! What the—" he gasped in horror as the truck ahead went off the road.

"Oh no…" was all Tony could manage to get out as they saw the truck flip onto its side. "NO!"

_When they reached the accident scene, Frank pulled over and Tony jumped from the van, running towards the truck, which was now off the road in the breakdown lane. _

_"Tony!" Frank chased after him, coming to an abrupt halt as the door that was uppermost opened and Scott attempted to climb out. All he managed to do was fall to the ground, his face bloody from having smashed into the steering wheel when they crashed. He tried to scramble to his feet but Tony wouldn't allow it._

_"You son of a—" _

_"Tony! Stop!" Frank yelled._

_Tony pushed Scott back to the ground as he tried to get up. "How could you do this?! How could you hurt her?!" He wanted to punch the man, but he could tell from his bloody nose and how he was holding his arm, he wasn't going far. _

_Frank looked down and blood was gushing from Scott's nose. __'You deserve far worse, you bastard.' __ "Stop it! He's done! We got him!" Frank yelled and Tony unwillingly released Scott, who was in too much pain to pay attention to what they were saying. _

_"If he wasn't hurt, I'd…UGH!" Tony let out a yell of frustration._

_"We have rope in the van. Stay right here. Don't let him move! We'll tie him up until the cops arrive," Frank said and ran to the van. _

_Tony stayed where he was, glaring at Scott. He wanted to leave him there and check on Brooke, but knew the man would try and get away, the moment he was alone._

_Frank came back and handed Tony some rope. "Get his feet. I'll get his hands." _

_Scott yelled when Frank grabbed his wrist. "Don't move and this won't hurt!" Frank said coldly. Scott did as he was told and within a minute he was tied up. Other cars were starting to slow down and people looked, but no one stopped._

_Once Scott was secured, they stood up to look inside the truck. The front windshield was almost completely shattered._

_"Brooke?!" Tony yelled and sucked in his breath when he saw her lying on the bottom of the truck. "Brooke, can you hear me?" _

_Frank called the police with his cell phone, to make sure emergency personnel were on their way. He explained the situation to the emergency operator._

_"Tony?" came a weak voice from the truck interior. _

_"Brooke, can you hear me?" he asked and peered inside the truck. He switched on the interior light so they could see Brooke. When he saw her face, Tony's eyes filled with tears. He reached for her hand. "Brooke?"_

_They heard small gasps of breath. "Tony…" she let out a small gasp. "Don't…"_

_Frank crouched beside him. "Brooke, what's wrong? Can you move? Are you hurt?" He noticed a nasty bump on her forehead that was bleeding and he also spotted blood underneath her head as she lay there._

_"Breathe…"_

_Tony looked at Frank who shook his head. "I can't hear her," Frank said, as the noise of the sirens approaching drowned out Brooke's voice._

_"Arm…hurts…. Can't…breathe…."_

_"She can't breathe?" Tony looked at Frank._

_"Don't let her move!" Frank instructed. "Her arm could be broken."_

_"Brooke, listen to me. You'll be fine. They're almost here! Stay with us…" Tony said softly._

_"Don't…leave…"_

_"I won't. I'll be here with you. I won't leave you." Tony let his tears trickle down his cheeks. __'God, I beg you. Please let her be all right.' __He closed his eyes, praying as help arrived._

_When the paramedics showed up, they had the boys move aside so they could work on stabilizing Brooke and extricating her from the wreck. _

_Frank stood by his best friend, and silently prayed. __'You can't take her away a second time. He'll be devastated. Everyone will…' __ A yell interrupted his thoughts and he saw Scott being placed in the backseat of a police cruiser._


	17. Chapter 17

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 17

Frank had had the presence of mind to call Vanessa after the paramedics arrived at the accident scene. Morgan, Joe and Vanessa reached the hospital just before the ambulance got there. They hurried to the Emergency admitting desk. "Is my daughter here?" Morgan asked frantically. "Her name is Brooke Tyler."

"No ma'am, not yet. They'll be here any moment," the nurse said calmly.

"Mrs. Tyler, come over here." Vanessa guided her over to the seats where they could keep an eye on the emergency door.

The nurse noticed Joe's arm as he turned to walk over to them. "Young man! Are you hurt?"

Joe looked down at his arm. "Oh, it's a graze. I—"

"You need to get that cleaned up immediately! You may need stitches for it," she said, looking at the cut. "How'd you get this?"

"I was shot," he admitted.

"You are most certainly getting that checked out! Shot?!" The nurse walked over to her desk and paged a doctor. "You stay right there," she instructed.

Vanessa came up beside him. "Get that taken care of. We'll be out here. If we hear anything we'll let you know."

"Thanks." He gave her a kiss just before he was led down the hallway.

A moment later the door opened and Frank and Tony walked inside. Morgan and Vanessa hurried over to them.

"How was she? You saw her, right?!" Morgan asked.

Tony looked at Frank for help. They'd watched the medics work and what they overheard wasn't good.

"She was having some pains in her chest. The truck had overturned and she fell. We're not sure what's wrong," Frank informed them. "Here they come."

Two medics rolled the gurney in and Morgan saw her daughter for a brief moment and gasped at the sight. "Oh my…" She wanted to go over there but a doctor and nurses soon blocked their views.

"What do we have?"

"She's having chest pains and breathing problems. She was conscious for the ride but passed out just as we arrived," the medic answered.

The other medic spoke up. "Her wrist may be sprained or broken and she complained of dizziness."

Everything seemed to happen in a blur, as Brooke was quickly wheeled down the hall. The doctor approached the desk and looked in Morgan's direction. He walked over to the group. "Excuse me. I was told you're the girl's mother?" he asked her.

"Yes, I am," Morgan replied.

"May I speak with you?" he pulled her aside. "Ma'am, I wanted to inform you that we may or may not have to perform surgery and need your permission to go ahead if this is necessary."

"Yes, of course. Whatever you need to do to save my daughter," Morgan said and he thanked her and had the admittance nurse bring Morgan a form to sign.

"I'll be out as soon as I can," he said and went back through the doors.

Morgan walked back over to the teens, and Vanessa gently embraced Morgan as she started crying. "She'll be okay…" Vanessa felt her own eyes tear up.

Tony was about to say something when an officer walked in, and behind him was a medic wheeling Scott in on a gurney.

"His arm is broken as is his nose," Tony said coldly. "They said he had to have medical attention before they could take him to jail."

Morgan wanted to go over there and take out all her anger and hatred on the man she had once loved. "He'll get what he deserves," she said and turned away.

Everyone sat down and waited, as patiently as they could, for news of Brooke.

"Frank, Joe is getting his arm looked at," Vanessa informed him when the elder Hardy boy noticed his brother's absence.

"Thanks," he said and glanced at Tony who was hunched over, gently touching his nose. "You all right?"

"My nose hurts. The _Figlio di Puttana_ punched my nose. It's sore," Tony said and Frank looked at him questioningly.

"The what?" Frank asked and Tony had no idea what he was talking about.

"_Puttana_?" Frank asked.

"Oh! Oops, nothing. I caught on to a few things from my parents. It's nice to be able to speak another language," Tony said.

Frank smiled. "Yeah…"

The door opened and Fenton and Laura walked inside. Spotting Frank, they joined the group.

Frank filled his father in on everything that had happened, from the incident at the mall to the accident.

"We should have caught him before this happened!" Fenton snapped.

"Dad, we tried to catch up to him," Frank said.

"I know you did. I didn't mean it was your fault. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, that's all."

Laura rubbed her husband's back. "Honey, I've said this before. You can't help everyone. Well, you can, but you won't always come out on top. They have him now, so let's look on the positive side of things. He won't be able to harm either of them any more."

As time passed they all began to worry.

Joe came strolling out of the hallway with a bandage on his arm. "Good as new!" he said and sat down beside Vanessa. "So…" he looked around. "Any news yet?"

"No. Nothing," Frank said sadly.

Fenton talked to Joe and got his side of the story.

After a couple more hours, Morgan finally stood up and started pacing.

Tony looked up and watched her. He frowned, thinking about Brooke lying there, helpless, being unable to breathe. He stood up and walked over to Morgan. He said something that no one else heard and Morgan wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you," she said and released him. "That means a lot." She wiped away a few tears.

"What did he say?" Joe asked Vanessa who was closest.

She shrugged. "I don't know."

They all looked up when a doctor came into the waiting room.

"Who's here for Brooke Tyler?" he asked and the group stood up.

"Good evening. Who's her family?"

Morgan stepped forward. "I'm her mother."

"I would like to speak with you privately. Can you come with me?" the doctor asked and Morgan grew even more worried.

Fenton stepped beside her. "Don't worry. It's because we're not family. Go ahead," he said, giving her a reassuring pat on the back.

Morgan let out a sigh of relief and followed the doctor.

They walked down the hall and came to a stop. "I'm Doctor Welling and I've performed a surgical procedure on your daughter. Doctor Daniels had me take over when we realized she needed emergency surgery," he explained.

"How is she?"

The doctor sighed. " She had trouble breathing at first. We did some x-rays and found that her xiphoid process had been broken off. That alone will cause problems in the area of respiration." At her puzzled look at the medical term he clarified, " The xiphoid process is the small arrow-like piece of cartilage at the base of the sternum, or the breast bone. If this is damaged it can be fatal if the victim does not get medical treatment right away. But since there was someone to call it in immediately she was a very lucky girl."

"How long will she be in the hospital? Will she be okay?" Morgan asked.

"Well, this is the part that gets complicated. When this piece of bone breaks it depends on _how_ it breaks. Often it is fatal because it can be driven into the heart, which is located right behind it."

She sucked in her breath, worried.

"Now, although this did happen, we were able to repair the damaged part of her heart. She will be watched closely for the next 24 hours for any complications that could occur."

She felt relief wash over her and she sighed. "Thank goodness."

"But, there were a couple other minor things I should tell you about. She did have some cuts on her arm and one needed stitches. There will more than likely be bruising from the seatbelt she was wearing. She also has a concussion. So, we'll need to keep an eye on that as well."

"Can I see her?" Morgan asked.

"In a few minutes. They are moving her to a room now. Keep in mind she's very weak and is in and out of consciousness. She may or may not wake up while you're there."

"Thank you so much," Morgan said and walked back to the others, who were eagerly waiting to hear what happened.

"How is she?" Tony asked, stepping forward.

"She had trouble breathing, but they were able to repair the damage. They said a bone injured part of her heart." There were several gasps in the room.

"Her heart?" Tony felt as though his own heart was about to stop when he heard those words. "She'll be okay, won't she?"

"They need to watch her for the next twenty-four hours. She also had a concussion and some cuts that had to be stitched." Morgan tried to remain strong through the explanation, but tears streamed down her face.

Laura walked over to her friend and embraced her in a hug. "She'll pull through," Laura said hopefully. "She's a strong girl."

"Thanks, Laura."

Frank and Joe were standing nearby, and they noticed Tony turn his head and bring his hand to his face.

"What's with Tony?" Joe asked softly, concerned for his friend.

"Excuse me." Tony made his way past the group and walked down the hallway.

Everyone watched him leave.

"Should we go after him?" Joe asked.

"Give him a minute. He needs it," Frank said and noticed Joe giving him a questioning look. "He was the first person to see her in the accident, Joe. It's taking a lot out of him. He told me on the way here that he's never had anything like this happen to him before."

"Nothing? You mean an accident or...?"

"The accident _and_ Brooke. If she didn't make it, I think it'd tear him apart all over again," Frank said quietly. He remembered when Brooke first left, Tony had been very upset and it took them a while to get his mind off of her.

"I understand how he feels," Joe said and frowned slightly.

Vanessa slipped her arm though his and leaned against him. "Joe, maybe you should talk to him then," she suggested. "From what you've told me about your past, I think could understand better than anyone else."

Frank knew all too well what Vanessa meant. Joe's first girlfriend had been killed in an explosion caused by terrorists. It had taken Joe a long time to get over it. "She's right. Go talk to him."

Joe left the group and made his way down the hall. As he walked, he began to wonder where Tony could have gone. He soon got his answer when he came to the end of the hall. He read a sign. 'Gifts'. "The gift shop," he mumbled to himself as he saw Tony bringing up flowers and balloons to the register. Then he went back for more as Joe walked inside.

"Tony?"

Tony turned and saw Joe standing there. "Hey, I'm getting her some presents," he said, forcing a smile.

"Want a hand?" Joe offered.

"Sure," Tony replied and glanced at the clock. "They close in five minutes, so we have to be quick."

"All right." Joe went over and tried to find something for Brooke. He had no idea what she liked. He was starring at the shelf full of stuffed animals from small sizes to large. "Um, does she like animals?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, cats, dogs… OH! You're looking at those." Tony walked up to him. "This one is perfect!" He grabbed a large soft teddy bear and brought it to the register.

Joe followed his lead and grabbed another stuffed teddy bear. He brought it to the register and saw Tony still looking around. He looked at the balloons that were picked out. 'Get Well' 'Get Well Soon' 'I Love You'…. Joe looked at Tony and back at the balloon. He smiled.

Tony came back with one more stuffed animal and saw Joe looking at the balloon. "Don't you say anything!" Tony said and blushed.

"I'm not. I'm happy for you," Joe said and gave his friend a pat on the back. They paid for their items and slowly made their way back to the waiting room.

"Hey Tony, I came down to let you know I'm here if you want to talk," Joe offered.

"Talk? About what?" Tony asked, stopping as he peered over the stuffed animals in his arms.

"Um, women, life, the accident. I know how it is to deal with something like this. Luckily you still have her," Joe told him.

Tony forced a smile. "I know. I just wish it hadn't come to this. Joe, you should have seen her lying there. It's like someone's about to fall and your hand is just an inch away and you can't get any closer to save them."

Joe nodded. "I know how you're feeling. Trust me, I do. I know I'm not the sappy type, but seriously, I'm here for you. Okay?"

"Thanks Joe, I appreciate it," Tony said as they started walking again.

"So…"

"What?" Tony asked.

"You like her a lot, huh?"

A big grin came over Tony's face this time. "Yes, I do."

"Good."

"Did you buy the entire store?" Frank teased, and took the balloons from Tony's hands.

"Pretty much," Tony conceded with a laugh.

"That's cute. She'll appreciate it," Vanessa said and eyed the balloons. "Aww, that's so sweet!"

Tony's cheeks turned a deep shade of red.

'Sorry!" Vanessa said and giggled. "I didn't mean…"

"It's okay." Tony laughed and sat down, bears in hand.

Nearly twenty minutes later Morgan returned to the waiting room. She had a smile on her face. "She was awake. Not talking much, but awake," she informed them. She looked at Tony. "Why don't you head on in?" she asked, and then looked at all the gifts. "You guys didn't have to buy all of this!" she exclaimed.

"They're from Tony," Vanessa said and Morgan smiled at him.

"She'll love everything." Morgan gave Tony a kiss on the cheek. "Go see her, sweetie – although she may be sleeping when you go in."

"Thanks," he said and tried picking up the flowers and balloons.

"I'll help," Vanessa offered and grabbed some of them.

Together they made their way to Brooke's room and Tony opened the door. The sight of his girlfriend attached to all the equipment made him worry. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleeping.

"Tony…" Vanessa said softly. "Let me put these down and I'll leave you two alone."

Tony and Vanessa set the flowers down and tied the balloons to the chair beside the bed. Then Vanessa left.

Tony sat down and took the smallest teddy bear and placed it next to Brooke on the bed. "Well, I guess this is the best chance as any to talk to you and tell you things I haven't been able to say yet. I guess you can call it practice," he said quietly. "I remember as I was about to turn seventeen, just days before my birthday, Joe was teasing me about you. About how I'd comment on your clothes, or whenever you played a good game of basketball with us. Over time I began to realize I liked you. A lot. Whether it was playing basketball, having lunch at school, anything, I loved spending time with you. Then you left."

He paused and took a deep breath. "Every day I'd walk by your old house, hoping you were there, but that never happened. As time passed, I just gave up, thinking you were gone, forever. Then, just a few days ago at work, you walked in and hit me on the head with a napkin dispenser…" he laughed. "It was the best day of my life. You were back and it's like nothing's changed. I missed you so much. No one can tell you, just how much I've missed you. When you get out of here, and you will, you'll be fine, I intend on making up for these last two dreadful years and making you happy." He leaned forward and tears began trickling down his face. "Thank goodness you're asleep. I'm a big baby."

"Baby?" a weak voice said and he looked up, startled.

"Brooke?"

She gave him a weak smile.

"Thank goodness. Don't say anything! The doctor said you need to rest and…" he stopped when she reached over with her good hand and grabbed his. She tried to say something to him but he couldn't hear it. He leaned closer. "Brooke, hon, I can't hear you. Just rest. Wait to…"

"Missed...you...too," she said slowly and closed her eyes again, falling back asleep.

'_She heard me!'_ he thought and then he didn't seem to care. "Well, it's true. You're back and that's all that matters. Good night. Sweet dreams, beautiful."

Tony exited the room and made his way to the waiting room, a big smile on his face.

"How was she?" Frank asked.

"She's doing great." Tony grinned. "You guys are the best, you know that?"

"Huh?!" Joe asked, confused.

"Thanks for helping her. I know it didn't turn out the best, but it means so much to me that you went through everything and helped her as best you could. It wasn't easy and we did it. She's safe now and…" he was at a loss for words.

"Tony, don't go soft on us, man…" Joe gave his friend a weird look.

Tony smiled. "I'd never do that to you Joe. Don't worry."

Frank laughed. "How about we have a little welcome home party for her?"

"Oh man!" Joe said, "Frank, what about your birthday?!"

"We can wait until Brooke's feeling better. I don't mind waiting."

Joe groaned and Tony knew what the problem was. Joe had planned Frank a surprise birthday party at Vanessa's house a long time ago.

"What?" Frank asked.

"Nothing." Joe said and sunk back down in the chair. _'I'll make it a welcome home and a birthday party! As soon as she's better, I'll reschedule it.' _he thought and smiled. _'Perfect!'_


	18. Chapter 18 Ending

The Pain of Silence

Chapter 18

"Hey, Mom?" Brooke looked at her mother who was watching the television.

"Yes, honey?"

"Who are all of these gifts from?"

"Well," Morgan looked around the room. Over two days' time, more and more gifts had arrived. "Those flowers there are from your Uncle Rick. Who, by the way, said he'd be visiting in a couple days. He wasn't able to get coverage for his shifts or else he would have come down by now.

"That teddy bear and those flowers are from the Hardys. Tony bought you every thing else."

"Everything? Even the balloons? Or did someone else bring those?" Brooke asked as she looked at the one balloon that said 'I love you'.

"Yes, honey, he brought them."

Brooke smiled. "I can't wait to get out of here."

Brooke recovered faster than anyone had expected. Five days later, the doctor told her she could go home the next day if she felt up to it. Brooke made sure she felt up to it! 'Home' meant the Benders' house for the time being.

"Don't move!" Tony told Brooke, who was trying to sit up. "What do you want?"

"Fine," she pretended to sulk. "Just some water please," she said and leaned back on the sofa as he went into the kitchen. "You'd think a girl could get her own drink."

Joe laughed. "Hey, appreciate it now while you can. I wish I got that kind of treatment."

Vanessa playfully nudged her boyfriend. "What was that, sweetie?" she asked.

"Nothing. I'm kidding! You know I love ya!" he said and kissed her.

"Actually, I want something to eat. I'm starving." Brooke started to stand up and Joe jumped from his seat.

"Let me help you." He offered his hand and she accepted his help and stood up.

"We just don't want you to strain anything. Your mom said you were still sore," Vanessa told her.

"Thanks, Joe. I do appreciate it, guys," Brooke said and slowly made her way to the kitchen.

A couple minutes later, Joe decided he wanted something to eat as well, and followed her.

Tony had gone to the kitchen to get Brooke her water. "Hey Frank, when will Callie be here? You're still going to the movies, right?"

Frank was washing a glass he'd used. "Oh yeah, we are. She's running a little late. What are you and Brooke going to do tonight?" he asked, putting the glass in the drainer.

"Just watch a movie. That's about it. I don't want her to overdo. The doctor said two weeks of resting," Tony said as he got a glass of water.

"So, you two are doing good, I take it?"

Tony smiled. "Of course. It couldn't be better."

"That's great. I heard something through our little grapevine. Something Joe said to Vanessa, who told Callie and then Callie told me. So…" Frank was curious and knew everyone else was too.

"Let me guess. It has to do with all the gifts I bought Brooke and a certain object that happened to float in the air?" Tony laughed, knowing everyone had wanted to know what was going on. "Yes, I care a lot about her, Frank. You can tell everyone in our little grapevine."

"Joe wanted me to ask. So did the girls," Frank admitted.

"I got that vibe a while ago," Tony grinned.

"You love her?" Frank smiled, and so did Tony.

"Yeah, I do. Frank, you and I both know that I've always cared about her. We always talked about her and I hoped one day she'd come back...and my wish came true. I'm happy and I hope she is too."

Frank glanced behind Tony and smiled. "I'm sure she is very happy."

Tony was about to respond when someone entered the kitchen.

"Brooke, sorry!" Joe said as he came around the corner. "Did you get something—" Joe looked at Frank's surprised expression. Tony's back was to him and he didn't turn around. "Did I miss something?"

Frank held back a laugh. "No, you didn't." Frank walked over to his brother. "Callie will be here in a couple minutes. Let's check with Vanessa and see what movie she'd like to go see." He grabbed Joe by the arm and tried to get him to leave the room.

"I wanted something to eat—" Joe protested.

"In a minute!" Frank nudged him and glanced at Brooke, who was still standing there.

Joe looked back and forth from Brooke to Tony, trying to figure out what was going on and gave up. "Fine…"

Brooke slowly walked into the kitchen. "Tony?"

He turned to face her. "Here's your water," he said and handed it to her. "How come you got up…you didn't have to…"

She stopped right in front of him. "I was hungry and wanted a snack."

"Oh, well, what do you want?! I can…" he stopped when she leaned forward and kissed him. When she pulled back, he smiled. "Did you hear everything?"

She nodded. "Yes. Thank you so much for taking care of me. It means a lot."

"Well, it's my pleasure. I love spending time with you." He stepped aside, still embarrassed. "So, what do you want to eat? I can make you something or did you want a sna—"

"_Ti amo_," she said so quickly he barely heard her.

"What?" He was pretty sure he knew what she said, and she blushed.

"That's how you say it, don't you? _Ti amo_."

He nodded. "_Si_."

"Get over here," she demanded, with a smile. "I love you too, Tony."

He leaned forward, gently cupping her chin, and kissed her.

_knock knock_

They ignored the sound and seconds later someone came into the kitchen. "Ahem," Vanessa said. "Sorry to interrupt! Brooke, you have visitors!"

"I wonder who," Brooke said and Tony took her by the hand, walking into the living room.

"You're Joe Hardy! Oh my gosh! It's so nice to finally meet you!"

Brooke smiled. _Samantha. _

"Um, nice to meet you too," Joe said, shaking the girls hand.

"I met your brother last week…BROOKE!" Samantha went over to her cousin and gently hugged her, while a baffled Joe watched curiously, shaking his head.

"Hi Brooke, how are you feeling?" Rick Tyler asked, walking over and giving her a hug.

"I'm better. Thanks. It's so nice to see you again! It's been a long time. Tony, this is my Uncle Rick and my cousin Samantha. It seems like you two already know the Hardys and that's Vanessa Bender. This is her house. Uncle Rick, this is Tony Prito."

"Nice to meet you sir," Tony said. He noticed Frank telling Joe something and glancing at Samantha.

"So Samantha, I hear you're a big fan of the Hardy boys here?" Vanessa asked, knowing Frank was warning Joe about her interest in them.

"Yes! They are like heroes! That reminds me!" Samantha pulled something from her pocket and walked over to Joe. "Joe, can you sign this for me?"

Joe looked questioningly at Frank and his brother just smiled at him.

Brooke let out a giggle.

"The guys and their girlfriends are seeing a movie tonight. Tony and I are staying here. Mom should be back shortly."

Joe took the paper and Samantha also gave him a pen to sign with. He noticed his dad's signature and Frank's and tried to keep from laughing. He signed his name and handed it back to her.

"Thank you!" the excited teen exclaimed.

"You're Vanessa, correct?" Rick asked her.

"Yes sir."

"Would you mind if I ordered a couple pizzas and had dinner with my niece? I promise not to make a mess."

"Sure, that's fine. We'll be back around nine. You're more than welcome to stay…" Vanessa glanced over at Samantha who was staring at Joe in fascination, then she looked at her boyfriend who seemed to be weirded out by their new fan.

"Thank you very much," Rick said.

Tony sighed a little. He'd looked forward to having some time alone with Brooke. Having her uncle and cousin here certainly was going to spoil those plans! But they'd have other times.

Lights flashed in the window. "Callie must be here," Frank said.

Joe almost dashed for the door. "Have a good night, everyone. See you later," he said and went out the door.

Frank laughed. "Okay. See you later, guys. Good to see you again, Mr. Tyler, Samantha," he said, and left, followed by Vanessa.

A week later, Morgan found a house to buy, for herself and Brooke. They hired a moving company, and managed to move all of their belongings from their old house to their new one.

Rick and his family now made frequent visits to Bayport. As time progressed, Brooke felt as though her life was going back to normal.

Over the next several weeks, Scott Tyler went to trial and was found guilty of numerous charges, and was sentenced to serve jail time. At Brooke's request the judge also decreed that Scott would receive help from a doctor for his problems. Brooke wanted to be able to visit her father some day, on better terms – once he received the help he needed.

It did turn out, once Scott began therapy, that the doctor declared his abuse and anger stemmed from experiences in his past. Morgan brought Brooke to the prison for her first visit to her father. To their surprise, it went well. For the first time in years, Brooke heard _'I'm sorry,_' and knew her father meant it.

The End.


End file.
